False Beliefs
by Aquade
Summary: By now, the fog had lifted slightly and revealed a penguin. The penguin smirked and curled his flipper in a taunting way –the universal sign for come-and-get-it. Skipper glared at him before getting into his signature battle formation. "Give it all you got, boys!" Rated T for safety. Sequel to I Work Alone.
1. Through the Fog

**I know I hated it when I was left with a cliffhanger or a teaser while reading stories, so I decided to post this chapter as soon as it was finished. I just want to say in my defense that those are incredibly fun to write. Anyway, there's more notes at the bottom in order not to give it away. Nathan has something to say to you.**

**Nathan: *waving flippers* Hey, everybody! I'm back! I know I wasn't out for long, but did you miss me?**

**Me: *rolls eyes* All right. Just get to the part already. They want to read the story!**

**Nathan: Jeez, sour puss. I'm going. Disclaimer: This author does not own any characters from the Penguins of Madagascar. The author only owns his OCs and plot line. This goes for all future and past chapters. There happy? Did I miss anything?**

**Me: I think you did a pretty good job.**

**Nathan: Aww, I never knew you were so sweet.**

**Me: *picks up baseball bat* I'm not.**

**Nathan: Review please. And don't worry if you miss me, I'll be along later. Just don't leave me for somebody else whose name I cannot mention.**

**Me: Nathan!**

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><p>"Skipper?" Private's voice rang out. "Is it absolutely necessary to do recon in a fog?"<p>

"Of course," his leader replied. "It's the best time for an enemy to strike!"

Kowalski shivered in the cold. "Yeah, assuming the enemy can see through fogs," he mumbled.

He raised his voice. "I don't think anyone would be crazy enough to be out here, Skipper. How can he see when we can barely see each other? No one wants to be out in this weather."

Skipper pointed to Rico. "Rico seems to be enjoying himself."

"That's because Rico is Rico!" argued Kowalski.

"I see something!"

The two penguins turned to Private's direction. "Rico!" ordered Skipper. "Stop fooling around!"

They waddled over to Private's side. "What is it?" asked Skipper.

Private shrugged. "I'm not sure." He pointed to the shadowy shape.

"Kowalski, analysis."

Kowalski took out his clipboard. "It's too small to be a human, Skipper, and it couldn't be a space squid in its natural form."

Skipper rubbed his beak thoughtfully. "Who are you?" he called out. "Are you a friend or foe? What do you want?"

He received no answer. The strategist turned to his commander. "Perhaps he can't hear you," Kowalski suggested.

The shape began moving towards them. "Skipper!" cried Private. "What do we do?"

Skipper replied with the only answer he had. "Attack!"

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><p>The team moved as one, coordinating with the occasional commands from Skipper. Usually, they would also rely heavily on hand signals, but considering the fact that a fog was in the way, the idea was thrown away. "Kowalski, left. Rico, right. Private, back."<p>

His team nodded and went their separate ways. However, the intruder must have heard him, because he or she flipped over Skipper's head and landed perfectly on the fake floe before turning around to face them. Skipper and the team knew that they were facing a professional.

By now, the fog had lifted slightly and revealed a penguin. The penguin smirked and curled his flipper in a taunting way –the universal sign for come-and-get-it. Skipper glared at him before getting into his signature battle formation. "Give it all you got, boys!"

With a cry, they launched themselves at the intruder. The fight was suspenseful –neither side was getting an advantage. Private aimed a kick at the penguin, but the young soldier met no resistance and crashed into the fence.

The stranger blocked a punch from Kowalski before landing the scientist one of his own. Kowalski hunched over, gasping for air. Rico managed to sweep the feet off the stranger before hurrying to help his fallen comrade.

Skipper and the penguin locked eyes with each other. The penguin knew enough not to attack Rico while he was tending for his teammate. The fight was down between Skipper and the intruder. However, before either of them could make a move, Private jumped up with a cry and latched himself onto the penguins head. "Private!" cried Skipper.

The penguin stumbled around blindly as Private held on for dear life. They neared the pool and fell. Private released himself and swam up to the surface. The other penguin was right beside him. Wasting no time, the stranger flipped up on the habitat. Hurriedly, Private followed as well.

It was one against four again. Although Skipper felt that the odds were uneven, he reminded himself that they were doing it for the sake of the zoo. If it was a one on one duel, well, that was a different matter.

They were evenly matched. However, time soon showed its toil when the stranger's movements became slower. The team had an advantage with numbers –none of them had to fight as hard as the penguin did.

"Now, men!"

Simultaneously, they jumped on the penguin, pinning him down. Although he put up the best struggle he had left, the penguin was soon tied up. Skipper stared grimly at him. "Rico, dart."

The weapons specialist regurgitated the required item and handed it over to his leader. Private looked on worriedly. "Sorry about this," said the young penguin. "It's for your own good."

Kowalski, on the other hand, was still slightly hunched over and scoffed. "I, for one, am not."

The tied up penguin looked around at the faces surrounding him. He felt a prickling pain, then the whole world turned black.

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><p><strong>There the first chapter is read and done. What do you think? Not sure if you think of this ending as a cliffhanger or not, but the next one will be posted later (once I have finished writing it out). The good news is that I have it all planned out, so hurray! <strong>

**Not sure what you'll think of this, but this story is probably going to be much longer than ****_I Work Alone_****. It's not set yet, as sometimes the characters like to take me on adventures that change the entire plot line. By the way, if you haven't read ****_I Work Alone_**** yet, I suggest you do, or else this might be confusing to you. The good news is that you'll probably pick things up as we go along.**

**Unfortunately, I also need to finish ****_Great Migrations_**** before I get too caught up in this story. _Great Migrations_ is a bit of a holiday from my more suspenseful stories, but I figured out that these type of stories isn't my style. However, I do intend to finish it, as I like how the ending works out.**

**Yeah. Yeah. Long note, I know. I wouldn't be surprised if some of you had skipped it. Anyway, if you had, you probably wouldn't be reading this. Oh I's talking for too long. Bye and stayed tuned!**

**Nathan: Bye!**


	2. Imitator

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar or any of their characters. I _do _own my OCs, though, as well as this story.**

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><p>"Who is he?"<p>

"He's skilled

"-one of our own?"

"Impossible!"

The intruder blearily woke up, letting out an involuntary moan at the aching he felt throughout his body. With his flippers and feet tied up against the chair, he could not escape. Of course, being tied up did nothing for the soreness he felt. Immediately, four penguins emerged around him, each eyeing him with wary suspicion. "Who are you?" Skipper demanded.

However, the other refused to show fear or intimidation. "I could ask you the same question."

At the sound of his voice, the youngest of them frowned. Something was familiar about this penguin –he just couldn't put his flipper on it. Instead, he beckoned to his leader. "Skipper," Private whispered, "is it just me, or is there something awfully familiar about that penguin?"

Skipper regarded his soldier in surprise. "What makes you say that, Private?"

The penguin frowned. "I don't know. Well, I _do_ know it; but every time I focus on it, it disappears."

Skipper laid a flipper on Private's shoulder. "Inform me when you remember," he encouraged. "I know you can do it."

Private smiled. "Thanks for believing, Skipper."

"That's what a captain is for. Now, we have an intruder to interrogate."

Private tugged on Skipper's flipper. "Must you use the word _interrogate_? I prefer the word _asking_."

Skipper sighed. "All right. _Asking _it is."

They waddled back to their prisoner. Skipper glared at him. "Listen here, we can do this the easy way or Rico's way."

With this, Rico hacked up a chainsaw, pointing it dangerously at the other penguin. The said penguin gulped and inched as far away from the weapon as possible his tied up situation allowed. Before anything else happened, the TV turned on, and a penguin appeared.

Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private all gasped. "Leo?"

The NPTA leader smiled. "In the flesh. Well, not in reality, but you understand the gist."

Skipper frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm afraid I have some rather unfortunate news." Leo caught sight of their tied up captive. "Who's the prisoner?"

Skipper glanced back. "Not sure. Someone we found in the fog."

Suddenly, Private yelled triumphantly. "I remember now!"

Kowalski looked at him. "Remember what?"

Private pointed to the prisoner. "I know who he reminds me of now! Nathan!"

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><p><strong>I know, I know! I'm sorry about the long wait, everyone! I was busy on Great Migrations, but now that it is over, I should be able to spend more time on this. Hopefully. Also, I know this is a short chapter, but I like writing them that way. Maybe I'll be able to make them longer in the future...<strong>

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review. I love them!**


	3. Back From the Dead

**I'm sooooo sorry for not updating sooner! But here's the next chapter, so please don't be mad, all right? Yes, it's a little short, but... yeah. Perhaps the next chapters will be longer, depending on my plans.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar or the characters in it. Nor do I own the Central Park Zoo and what not. What I do own are my OCs (Nathan, Billy, Leo) and other agencies or organizations that have sprung from my mind (NPTA). I also own this story line.**

* * *

><p>The penguins turned to look at their captive. Kowalski nodded. "He does bear a remarkable resemblance to Nathan."<p>

Their prisoner glanced up sharply. "Nathan?"

Skipper narrowed his eyes at him. "Do you know him?"

"It depends. Are you talking about Nathan Delando? Is he alive?"

At this, Leo gasped. "How do you know that name? It's never been uttered for so many years!"

"Well, I ought to know Nat's last name, don't you think?" the other penguin retorted, forgetting the situation he was in. "But right now, I'm just glad he's alive!"

"Wait a minute," said Leo. "Nat?"

"Short for Nathan, of course."

Skipper shook his head slowly. "You're not from here, are you?"

"Technically, I am. But I've been gone for quite a while."

Private held up a flipper, forestalling more questions. "What's your name?"

The captive looked at them incredulously. "You still don't know?" he said. "I'm Billy!"

All of them shook their heads. "That's impossible," said Skipper.

"Billy is officially recorded as decease since Mission: 2441, or commonly know as, Operation: Forestall," added Kowalski.

Billy glanced between both of them. "What are you talking about? I never died!"

Leo frowned. "If you are really Billy, tell us your codename and number."

"Codename: Snow 02. You all know that. Nat was Snow 01, seeing as he was older. My number was AG 7786."

"Pass code?" pressed Leo.

Billy shook his head. "All NPTA agents know not to ever say their password no matter the circumstance."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Consider this an exception to the rule and an order from the 'Lion.' I'll make sure you have time to change your password later."

Billy scrunched up his face in thought for a minute before giving in. "Fine, but if some enemy somehow overhears and destroys the entire agency, I was not the cause."

"That'll be hard to do considering the fact that you're listed as deceased," mumbled Kowalski.

Billy took a breath. "Pass Code: AD44726FD."

Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private all looked at Leo expectedly as the NPTA leader searched in the Association's database. There was a long moment of silence before Leo looked up at them, his face pale. "He's correct."


	4. Without A Trace

**Sorry, guys, for the long wait. Terribly sorry. The next update will be much faster, I promise, seeing as I've gotten my computer back. : ) Anyway, here you go!**

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><p>"How can that be?" exclaimed Kowalski. "If you're alive, it means that you've been missing for over five years!"<p>

Billy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, well, that's a long story to tell."

Private frowned. "But I thought Nathan said you were dead?"

Billy shrugged. "I thought he was dead, so …. it must have gone both ways."

Skipper shook his head. "What _I_ wonder is how you came here of all places?"

The other penguin gave him a lopsided smile. "I just tried to stay out of human sight and somehow I found my way here. You can't imagine how relieved I am to meet NPTA agents instead of the civilians."

"But why did you attack us?" questioned Private.

Rico nodded vigorously. "Yeah, why?"

Billy smiled awkwardly. "Speaking about that, I'm sorry I jumped on you all –especially you, Kowalski. I guess after such a long time of constantly having to defend myself, I automatically attacked on an impulse."

Leo raised his brows. "This is certainly an interesting turn of events."

Skipper chuckled softly. "Greatest understatement of the year."

Billy looked at them inquisitively. "You guys talk about Nat as if you knew him personally. Have you met him?"

Skipper smiled knowingly. "He spent some time with us for a while when _somebody_ nearly got us killed."

The team all glanced at Leo accusingly. The NPTA leader raised his flippers up in defense. "Hey, my associates told me that it would be a good idea, all right? Most of the other teams took it fairly well. I wasn't sure what to do with you all."

Billy frowned. "Wait a minute. I'm still confused here." He looked at Leo. "Who exactly are you?"

Leo smiled. "What you know as 'the Lion.'"

Billy's eyes widened. "Oh, so you're the actual-" he trailed off.

Skipper laughed at the penguin's expression. "Believe me. We felt the same way when _we_ first found out."

Getting over the shock, Billy shook his head. "I'll wrap my head around that later." He smiled and looked around eagerly. "So where's Nathan?"

Kowalski shrugged. "Ever since he left, we haven't heard from him."

Private returned Billy's smile. "But he said we would meet again."

They turned to Leo, who smiled sadly. "Actually, that's the reason I came to talk to you all in the first place."

Skipper frowned, confused. "What do you mean? Has something happened?"

Private spoke up. "Nathan is all right, isn't he?"

Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry to say that I don't know."

"What do you mean?" said Billy.

"He usually sends us a status report every week, but it's been awhile since the last update. I fear that he might have been captured."


	5. All for One

**Here's a present to all you readers to say I'm sorry. Two chapters in one day! [Technically, it was done in two days because it's midnight here...] XD Enjoy!**

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><p>"Captured?" repeated Skipper. "Nathan?"<p>

"It is a possibility," said Leo.

Private objected. "But Nathan is a brilliant fighter! He couldn't have been captured without anybody knowing, now could he?"

Leo shrugged. "Nathan was assigned on a solo mission, so without the buddy system, there's always that chance."

"Wait," said Kowalski. "When did you know about this?"

"A few days previously," admitted Leo. "We were hoping it was just forgotten or something and that he would reply to us soon, but Nathan has never forgotten to inform the HQ about anything before."

"Where was his last location?" asked Billy, worried.

"Nevada. He was sent there to follow some leads."

"Well, I'm not going to stand here hoping he'll come back," declared Billy. "I'm going to find him."

The team exchanged looks before Skipper stepped up. "You're going to need some help, soldier; and my team and I aren't going to leave you alone in this. Nathan is part of our team as well."

Billy nodded gratefully at the older penguin. Leo smiled down at them. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you all personally, but if you need any supplies, I can see if we're able to spare some."

Skipper nodded. "Thanks."

With that, Leo signed off. Skipper turned to Kowalski. "Fire up the truck, Kowalski. We have a long ride to get to Nevada."

The scientist nodded, gesturing to Rico to help him on the vehicle. The two disappeared up top.

Private turned to Skipper. "When do we leave, sir?"

"As soon as we can," his leader replied. "We'll pack along a few supplies for now, but we should be able to get more food, gas, or water as we go along."

He twisted to look at Billy. "Do you have anything you need to pick up?"

The other penguin shook his head. "Nothing of importance. I have everything I need right here."

Skipper nodded. "Good. Private, if you want to pack anything, do it now. And make sure it is necessary or will help in the mission, all right."

Private frowned. "If that's the case, sir, I don't have any necessities."

"Brilliant then. Billy, Private, come down with me to get some of our weapon supplies, would you? We need to be in tip top shape if we're going to rescue our fellow teammate."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, the three penguins walked into the garage, their arms loaded with munitions. "Kowalski, you done?" yelled Skipper.<p>

There was a loud noise and a muffled curse before Kowalski answered. "Ow! Almost, Skipper! You can load the stuff, though!"

Private climbed up to the back of the truck to see that Rico had stocked some cans of sardines into them already. "Food is here, sir!"

"That gives us more time instead of another trip." Skipper inclined his head with a satisfied smile.

"Billy! Help Private load everything up!"

The penguin saluted before stumbling to help Private. Skipper walked over to where Kowalski was working. "Kowalski, status report."

"I should be done in a few minutes, sir. Meanwhile, could you get Rico to come over with the screwdriver and pliers? He took them away for goodness knows what."

At this second, said penguin appeared with the tools held in his flippers. Skipper waved to get his attention. "Over here, Rico! Kowalski needs them!"

The penguin threw the gear to his leader one by one. Skipper caught them nicely, handing them to Kowalski. The scientist gave one last tweaking to the engine before straightening with a pleased look on his face. He brushed away the dirt from his flippers. "Ready, sir."

Private and Billy waved from the back. "We're finished here as well!"

Skipper smiled. "Then let's get this show on the road, shall we?"


	6. Acquaintance from Nevada

"Skipper?" Private held on tightly as the truck made another swerve, nearly sending itself toppling over. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Of course!"

"But-" Kowalski had to fight to keep his lunch in. "According to the map, you're going the wrong way!"

"We're making a small stop first!"

"Is it really necessary?" yelled Billy.

"Yes! Unless you want to lug all those weapons in public, that is."

The other penguins thought for a while before nodding. "How much longer?" asked Private.

The truck suddenly braked, nearly sending Rico crashing into the windscreen. "Hey! What was that for!" the penguin objected.

Skipper smirked. "We're here, boys."

Kowalski opened the door and got out with shaky legs. "And where exactly is here, Skipper?"

They were in the middle of nowhere – an empty stretch of road surrounded by barren land and tumbleweeds rolling around. Private got out and spun around, trying to get a glimpse of a house or some sign of settlement –there were none.

Billy frowned. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

Skipper nodded confidently. "Affirmative."

"But I don't see anyone," said Private.

Skipper smiled at the young soldier. "Don't see with your eyes, Private. Listen to your gut."

He climbed onto the very top of the truck. "Hey, Jones! We're here!"

The others waited expectantly for something to happen. A few seconds passed with nothing happening, and they were sure that 'Jones' had not heard anything. Kowalski tilted his head to look at Skipper. "Skipper, I don't think-"

Kowalski never finished his sentence, as something rammed into Skipper, knocking him into the ground and breaking all other conversations. The other penguins gasped. "Skipper!"

They slid to him only to find him rubbing his head and getting up. "What was that for, Jones?"

Jones was a kangaroo rat, complete with a small cowboy's hat on his head. He frowned. "Well, when you shout out my name for the world to hear, someone's bound to answer."

Skipper frowned. "But why did you have to ram into me?"

Jones shrugged. "I was testing out my new cannon." He grinned. "You'll be glad that the locator I installed worked though."

Kowalski scoffed. "That would never work!"

The kangaroo rat turned to look at him, a brow raised. "Are you here for business?"

Skipper widened his eyes. "They're with me," he hastily informed.

Jones shrugged. "What's a few more?"

Skipper smiled with relief. "Jones, we need some help disguising our weapons."

The mammal nodded. "All right, then. My base is not too far away, but you know the drill, Skipper."

The penguin nodded. "Blindfolded and knocked out?"

"Yup."

Billy inclined his head. "But Skipper–"

Skipper raised a flipper. "It's all right, Billy. I trust him." He said the last part looking straight into Jones's eyes. "He knows what will happen if he sells us out."

Jones smirked. "Oh, I know that very well, Skipper. Don't you worry."

The others exchanged a look, but when Jones prepared to blindfold and knock them out, they didn't struggle.

_A few hours later…_

"Thanks for helping, Jones." Skipper waved goodbye to the kangaroo rat.

The penguins were now wearing an odd mixture of hats, belts, and sunglasses. Jones narrowed his eyes. "Just make sure you remember the payment, or you're going to regret it."

"Yeah, yeah." Skipper rolled his eyes. "You'll receive your seeds, later, Jones."

Billy took off his sunglasses. "You _do_ know that penguins wearing all these things are going to draw as much attention as the weapons, right?"

Private glanced at his belt nervously. "I just hope that nothing accidentally pops up and stabs me."

Rico shrugged, completely at ease with everything. Kowalski examined his hat. "What I don't understand is how he managed to fit all those weapons into a hat, and why couldn't Rico carry them?"

Rico shrugged. "Sorry. Full of fish."

Private rolled his eyes. "You pack yourself full of fish, when you know we have plenty in the truck?"

The other nodded vigorously. "Yup."

Billy looked at him weirdly. "I still don't get how you can do all that regurgitation stuff. It just freaks me out seeing you cough up a chainsaw."

Rico grinned mischievously and hacked up a chainsaw before proceeding with chasing Billy with the weapon. "Come here!"

The other penguin ran. "No! Rico! Stop!"

Kowalski glanced at Skipper. "Should we stop him? After all, we _do_ need to be blindfolded again for Jones to take us back to the truck."

Skipper grinned and pointed to Jones. The kangaroo rat held a dart gun, carefully aiming before pulling the trigger twice – each time hitting the target. Jones then turned to the other penguins. "So who wants to go next?"


	7. Claws of Red

"Skipper, there are some reports from the locals about red creatures causing trouble," reported Kowalski.

Skipper rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Red, huh? Do you think it might be Blowhole's henchmen?"

Kowalski shrugged. "Who knows? The locals didn't give much of a description."

Billy rolled his eyes. "Well, of course! We're in the middle of a desert! Where are they going to see lobsters?"

Private had to agree with him. "Why don't we snoop around the village for clues?"

Skipper grinned. "Excellente, Private! Kowalski! Do you have a map?"

The scientist nodded, picking up a stick from the ground. "I didn't get an actual map, but I did memorize the layout of the village."

He scribbled some squares and lines in the dirt. "I've divided the area into three parts, so one of us will have to go solo."

"I will," said Skipper.

Kowalski nodded. "Well, with that done, Rico can go with Private while I go with Billy."

Billy shrugged. "Fine with me. We'll take the east and you take the west?"

"Why not?" said Private, smiling.

Satisfied, Skipper smirked. "We'll meet at the main gate in one hour. Don't be late."

* * *

><p>Private and Rico walked through the alley, occasionally questioning the villagers whether they had seen lobsters around or not. Private sighed. "This heat is getting to me. Want to call a water break?"<p>

Rico nodded, regurgitating two water bottles. "Hydrate."

After the two were finished, they approached an old beetle selling seeds. "Excuse me, ma'am, but would you be so kind as to tell us if you have seen any red creatures about?" asked Private.

The woman grunted, gesturing at the seeds. "Trade first."

"Oh! Um." Private looked at Rico. "Do we have anything to trade?"

Rico thought for a while before handing Private a can of sardines. The boy glanced at it for a moment before giving it to the woman. "Will this do?"

She sniffed at the object suspiciously before accepting it, giving the penguins two brightly colored seeds. Private took the tiny items and gave it to Rico to store for later use. "So, about the creatures?" he gently prompted.

She rolled her eyes and scowled. "Last I heard, they were at the market place, creating trouble."

Private beamed. "Thank you."

He and Rico headed to the square.

* * *

><p>Billy and Kowalski panted, turning a corner. Five minutes earlier, while they were talking to a dark red kangaroo rat, they had seen a flash of red through their peripheral vision. Now they were on his tail.<p>

"It's a lobster, right Kowalski?"

"Yup. One of Blowhole's for sure."

"How do you know?"

"Well, for some reason, Dr. Blowhole's lobsters are always red, as if they had already been boiled or something."

"Hmm. I never noticed it like that before."

Kowalski smirked. "Most don't."

They reached an alleyway leading to the market. "Quick, Kowalski! We'll never catch him if he loses himself in the crowd."

Billy drew on his reserves, summoning every last once of energy he had for an all-out sprint. He was just within flipper's reach of the lobster when….

He crashed into someone else. Before the penguin could get up, two more animals stumbled over him. In the end, a pile of four lay on the ground. Billy groaned. "This is not doing any good for the headache I have from Jones' dart."

Private's sheepish face appeared in his view. "Sorry, Billy. We were chasing a lobster."

Billy dusted himself off. "I think we may have both targeted the same henchman."

Kowalski helped Rico up. "Too bad we lost him."

Billy smiled lopsidedly. "Yeah."

At this moment, Rico hacked up a timer. It had begun ringing. "Time to go."

* * *

><p>Skipper had been walking for twenty minutes and was ready to head back when he heard a cry for help. His training kicked in, propelling him to the source of the sound, where he found two foxes beating up a bird. "Let the bird go," he commanded.<p>

The foxes turned. "Hey, we don't want any trouble. This bird here just has something he owes us."

The bird cried out as one of them kicked him in the stomach. "I swear, I'll bring it to you next week! We didn't have any left because Tommy got sick!"

Skipper growled, launching himself into the air before kicking a fox in the head. His friend's howl of pain brought a snarl from the other mammal. "Oh, you're doing to pay for that, bird."

The fight was short lived – with Skipper twisting and turning at a remarkable rate, able to dodge the attacks and land quite a few punches and kicks himself. Soon, the mammals limped away from the soldier, nursing their wounds and whimpering. Skipper knelt beside the wounded bird. "Are you all right?"

The bird nodded. "Nothing major. I'll live."

After briefly checking him for injuries, Skipper got up, satisfied. He held out a flipper to help the other. "What was that all about?"

The avian shook his head sadly. "I borrowed some seeds from them two months ago to help pay off a debt. I figured my wife and I would save up enough to pay it back today, but then little Tommy caught a terrible sickness and—"

He broke up, stopping his torrent of words before drawing a deep breath. "I think you know what I mean."

Skipper nodded. "Yeah, I do." In an attempt to change the subject, he held out his hand. "Skipper."

"Will."

Will walked alongside Skipper. "Is there anything I can do to pay you back?"

Skipper chuckled. "Sounds like you've got yourself in a pickle already, buddy. Don't worry about it. It was mu duty to help."

Will smiled. "Still, you didn't have to step in. Most here wouldn't. If you ever need anything, just ask, okay?"

Skipper paused for a while. "Actually, there is one thing."

"What?"

"Have you seen any of the red creatures lately?"

"I've gotten occasional glimpses of them, and there are always the rumors. Why?"

Skipper dismissed the question. "No reason. Just curious." He smiled. "Well, it was good meeting you, amigo."

"You too."

Skipper had barely taken ten steps before he heard his name being yelled.

"Skipper!"

It was Will, sprinting up to stop beside him. "I just remembered. I stumbled upon one of their conversations before. They said that they were going to Boston."


	8. When in Boston

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!" the others chorused, glaring at the penguin.

Billy huffed, crossing his flippers. "Geez. I was just asking."

Kowalski face-flippered. "Just like you did FIVE minutes ago, correct?"

Billy gave him a sheepish look. "Oh. Yes. I forgot about that. Nat always said I was a nuisance in car trips. He strangled me twice before when we were on a twenty-four hour trip."

Skipper visibly shuddered at the thought of spending a day with Billy asking 'Are we there yet?'. He coughed into his flipper. "How does he usually…. Um… quiet you?"

Billy frowned, thinking. "I think he usually knocks me out. I don't remember, because I usually black-out….." he caught sight of the others wearing gas masks and Rico holding a can of sleeping gas. "Wait! Guys! Don't–"

He was out cold before anyone could say 'Smoked Salmon'.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you guys actually knocked me out," grumbled Billy. "I have gotten knocked out more times this week than I have for an entire year, you know!"<p>

Private glanced at him apologetically. "Sorry, Billy, but there was only so much we could take. At least we didn't go through with Skipper's idea of pushing you out of the plane."

"WHAT?!"

Skipper immediately slapped a flipper over Private's mouth. "He he. I was just kidding, Private."

"You were? But then why did you call the meeting while Billy was in the–"

"That's enough, young Private," said Skipper, glaring at the younger soldier.

"Yes, sir," squeaked Private.

Kowalski pointed through the window. "Sir, our stop is approaching."

The train stopped, and the penguins left, maneuvering through the countless feet walking through the subway. Presently, they arrived outside. Skipper took in a deep breath. "All right, boys. Get us a ride. Knowing Blowhole, his hideout will be somewhere near the sea."

The other penguins waddled off as Kowalski took out his clipboard. "To the harbor, sir?"

"Affirmative."

A cab pulled up in front of them, the door swinging open. Billy waved at them. "Hop on!"

Rico was at the view, Private positioned at the pedals. Quickly searching, Kowalski soon found a map stowed at the glove compartment. "All right then. Let's see. Forward, Private."

Private pushed against gas pedal, and the car lurched forward.

"Left!"

Rico swung dangerously towards the left, nearly missing a bus.

"Right!"

The penguin nearly ran over a pedestrian. Skipper reached forward to slap the penguin, but–

"Brake!"

Private hit the clutch, and Skipper flew to the front, flattening against the windscreen. "Kowalski!"

The scientist ducked behind his clipboard, poking out timidly. "Yes, Skipper?"

"I have a good, sound mind to slap you into next month!"

Kowalski cringed. "But, sir, I got us here, didn't I?"

Skipper groaned. "Fine then. Into next week."

"How about everybody's maintenance duty for a year?" Kowalski couldn't believe he was actually attempting to bargain with his commanding officer.

"Add two weeks without lab work, and you've got yourself a deal, soldier." Skipper smirked, knowing he had Kowalski cornered.

The strategist froze, his mind working overtime. Both of his choices were bad, but which was the lesser evil?"

Thankfully, he was saved from his predicament as Private pointed outside. "Look, Skipper! It's Hans!"

Skipper scoffed. "Don't be silly, Private. Hans is long gone." He turned around. "Sweet Sardine Sauce! It really is him!"


	9. One Step Closer

**Boo yah! Fast Update, people! Yay! *throws confetti around***

* * *

><p>"Hello, Skippy," greeted the puffin, taking one hand off his weapon. "I didn't expect you to be this early, you know."<p>

"Cut the small talk, Hans. How did you know we were here?" growled Skipper.

"Oh, I have my sources," the villain replied. He squinted at Billy. "I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but is that another penguin I see?"

Billy smiled. "Why, yes, actually. I'm Billy." He held out a flipper before Skipper could stop him.

Caught unaware by the friendly gesture, the puffin shook his flipper. "Hans."

Skipper angrily broke them up. "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Where I come from, we do _not_ fraternize with the enemy!"

Billy pouted. "Fine." He waved. "See yah, Hans."

The avian waved back. "Bye!" He glared at Skipper. "Why can't you be more like that?"

"Wha? Maybe it's because _I _did not spend years living outside of civilization!"

Hans sniffed. "I keep telling you to be a little nicer towards me."

Skipper face-flippered. "Oh, for Pete's sake, Hans. We don't have time for this! Just tell us your plan already!"

Hans grinned, holding up a freeze ray. "Behold! The Freezeamater 3000!"

Kowalski scoffed. "_Please _I have three of those in the basement. I even have one that _actually _works and makes you a cappuccino! Unlike yours."

"Showoff," grumbled the puffin. He brightened up, holding the gun. "Ah hah! But can yours do _this_?"

The weapon seemed to grow three times its size, and soon the penguins were faced with a rather large and powerful weapon. Kowalski gulped. "No. Not yet."

The penguins moved to their battle positions. Happily, the Dane fired the ray, nearly hitting Private. The team dodged the rays with flips, twists, and mid-air spins. Hans growled. "Stay still!"

Skipper snickered. "Having trouble, Hans?"

The puffin attacked the penguin leader with newfound vengeance, finding joy as Skipper rolled to avoid being shot. Meanwhile, Private was slowly inching his way out of Hans's view, careful not to draw any attention to himself. Billy, Rico, and Kowalski were trying to distract the Dane from Skipper.

"Hiiii Yahhhh!" the small penguin yelled, successfully kicking the weapon out of the villain's flippers.

"Great work, Private!" praised Skipper, tying up the puffin. "That was a brilliant kick."

Private smiled with the praise.

The bushes rustled – Billy immediately grabbing the discarded weapon and pointing it at the direction of the noise. Two penguins emerged, both with their arms raised. "We're friendlies," a female one said.

Skipper took a step forward, eyes narrowing. "Identification?"

The male penguin took out his dog tags, handing them to Skipper who gave it to Kowalski. The penguin nodded. "Seems legit, Skipper."

Billy lowered his weapons as the penguins inclined their heads to Hans. "_He_ was supposed to be our objective."

Skipper shrugged. "Well, we got here earlier. Plus, we know him. No hard feelings?"

The penguin shook her head. "No." She smiled. "We'll be taking over here, then."

Skipper gestured to Hans. "Be my guest. Just lock him up tightly. He has a knack for escaping."

"Don't worry. We will."

The team waddled away from the scene. Private tapped on his leader's shoulder. "Do you think Hans will stay locked up this time, Skipper?"

The leader shook his head warily. "That Dane got himself out of Hoboken. I bet he'll be gone before they even reach the prison facility."


	10. Call it a Hunch

**Fastest Update in My Entire History, People! Yay!**

* * *

><p>"Remind me <em>how in the world <em>did we end up in New York again, Kowalski."

Kowalski sighed. "We spent a long time in Boston with no leads, Skipper. Therefore, when we eavesdropped on a conversation which just happened to say something about lobsters in New York, we seized it."

Private blinked. "So we're back where we started?"

"Affirmative."

Billy cracked an eye open. "Tell me when we reach there, then. And _don't _wake me up just for fun, or I _will _sing car songs again," he threatened.

The others gulped, nodding. "Sure."

Billy nodded, satisfied. "Good night then."

Kowalski took out his clipboard. "Technically, it's mid-day, that is unless you're in – let's say, China – in which it would be near midnight."

"Let it go, Kowalski," sighed Skipper, driving.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>"Rico, stop! You're going to hit him!" yelled Skipper.<p>

The car stopped inches away from the lone penguin. The others sighed in relief. Skipper and Kowalski walked out of the car to check on the near victim. "Hello?" called out Kowalski. "Are you all right?"

He screamed as someone knocked him down. The weight was soon off him, however, as Skipper instinctively kicked the attacker off his teammate. "Who are you?" the leader demanded. He took a step backward when he had gotten a good view at the other penguin. "Special Agent Buck Rockgut?"

Kowalski stood beside him. "What are you doing here?"

Buck shook his head wildly, eyes flickering everywhere at top speed. "The Red Squirrel! He escaped!" he chuckled madly.

Kowalski and Skipper exchanged a glance. They didn't doubt that Red had escaped again – in fact, they read it in NPTA's latest news – but they were worried about Buck's mental condition. Skipper spoke first. "I say we leave him and continue on."

Kowalski rolled his eyes. "We can't leave him here, Skipper. His mental health is dangerously unstable! Who knows what harm he could cause to both himself and others!"

Skipper groaned. "Fine. So we take the mad agent to the nearest NPTA station. Not so hard, right?"

They had _no _idea.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Special Agent Buck Rockgut, sir!" coaxed Private, the only one who was still trying. "We're just trying to help you."<p>

"Pah!" Buck scoffed. "What do you nincompoops know about field work? This is the Red Squirrel we're talking about!"

The others all groaned. Billy face-flippered. "It's hard to believe this is the same agent who took down the Red Squirrel in the first place."

"That was over half a century ago though," said Kowalski, looking at Buck.

Skipper walked to the agent slowly. "So, Buck, what's to get you to go back to NPTA's New York Station?"

Buck seemed to consider it for a while. "Help me take down the Red Squirrel, and I'll comply with your wants."

Kowalski waddled up to Skipper as Rico pointed a flamethrower at Buck. The mentally-unstable penguin was not fazed. "Are you sure about this, Skipper? It might take a while for us to find the Red Squirrel."

"Red is in New York," piped up Buck. "And you know what, I'll even throw in a little information to help you on your way to locate your missing friend."

Everyone looked up at that, their gazes sharp. There was no need to vote, as their unspoken consent was unanimous.

"Deal."

* * *

><p><strong>Here's Some Questions for All of You Readers:<strong>

**1. Who do you think captured Nathan?**

**2. What do you think will happen next?**

**3. What do you _want_ to happen?**


	11. Clues at the Harbor

**Short chapter, sorry! But still an update! XD**

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><p>"There he is! Grab him before he steals that squirrel's stash!" yelled Billy.<p>

It had been half a week of searching for the Red Squirrel – in which the most exciting event was Fred getting another stash of acorns, thus becoming an acorn-are, you could say – nevertheless, all their searching had paid, off and the penguins were chasing Red.

Buck slid ahead, a crazed look in his eyes. "I've got you now, Red!"

Rico regurgitated a cage for him while he was in midair. The NPTA agent grabbed the villain before stuffing him into the cage. "Can't get away now, can you?" he taunted.

Red clutched the bars of the cage angrily, the acorns falling to the ground. "Ugh! Curse these squirrel-sized traps!"

Private blinked, looking at Kowalski. "They make cages just for squirrels?"

The scientist nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! There's also one for penguins, falcons, mice, lemurs –"

Skipper slapped him. "I think we all get the gist, Kowalski."

Buck happily sat on top of the cage, preventing Red from moving anywhere. "Well, you're not so bad, you nancy cats."

Skipper raised a brow. "Not so bad? You wouldn't even have _found _him without our help!"

It didn't take much to see his previous idolism of the agent was gone. Buck waved a flipper, brushing the comment away. "Eh. What are you going to do?" He grinned. "Now I'm off to catch the White Widow!"

Rico cocked his head, confused. "Didn't you catch her already?"

Buck shook his head. "Nah. Wouldn't find Newfakesplaceburg."

Rico, Skipper, and Kowalski glared at Private when he said that, causing the younger penguin to wince. Billy frowned. "Newfakesplaceburg? I don't think I've ever–"

Skipper placed a flipper across his beak, preventing him from speaking. "What Billy meant to say, was that he had never been there before."

The penguin glared at the leader.

Buck shrugged the exchange away. "Well, a deal is a deal. I've heard rumors of some shadowy business going on at the harbor, if you know what I mean." He looked directly at Skipper as he said this.

Skipper nodded slowly, placing a flipper to his beak. "I see. Well, we'd better be off then. Don't want to miss this exchange down at the docks."

Private looked between the two. "What exchange? If it's just business, Skipper, why are we investigating it?"

Skipper face-flippered as Kowalski pushed Private in the general direction of the zoo. "Come on, Private. Let's get the car so that we can drive to the harbor, and I'll explain everything to you."


	12. Double-Crossing Agents

**Hehe... sorry for the long wait... My room was being renovated and the computer covered with sheets to prevent the dust from coming in.**

**Heads up, I also deleted the teaser chapter, just in case anyone was wondering.**

**Anywho, here's chapter twelve!**

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is safe, Skipper?" asked Private, looking around at the shadows fearfully. "I mean, hearing what Kowalski said about these 'shadowy business', shouldn't we put more precautions?"<p>

Skipper glared at his lieutenant. "Why did you have to scare the kid for?" he whispered harshly.

Kowalski smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know it would scare him this much."

Skipper narrowed his eyes at Kowalski but turned to address Private. "Don't worry. We've got Billy and Rico as back up, remember?"

Private frowned, unconvinced. "All right then," he mumbled.

At that moment, a burst of static nearly scared the young penguin into jumping into someone's arms. "Gah!" Private screamed, settling with moving into his defensive position record time.

Skipper nodded approvingly before taking out the radio. "It's just a call, Private." He pressed the speak button. "Skipper here."

Billy's voice reached their ears. "So far so good. Rico saw a shadow slip in, recently, though, so heads up."

Skipper frowned. "Roger that. Over and Out."

A crate toppled over mere meters away from them, all of the penguins preparing for battle. An unexpected voice reached them.

"You knocked down that crate! You know how suspicious the humans are already!"

"Well, _sorry_ if I'm not meant for land work!"

Private blinked in surprise as the two figures appeared into view. "Parker and Rhonda?"

The two villains froze, eyes widening. "Uh, what are you doing here?" asked Rhonda, breaking the silence.

Skipper narrowed his eyes. "The question is, what are _you_ doing here? And where's Blowhole?"

The two exchanged a glance. "He's back at Coney Island," said Parker.

Kowalski scoffed. "Don't expect us to believe you'd give his location up so easily. You're working for him anyway."

Rhonda shrugged. "Believe what you want."

Parker agreed. "It's not as if we're working for him anymore."

"What?" Skipper perked up, eyes alert. "What do you mean not working for him anymore?"

The platypus shifted his stance. "He went back on our deal and had the lobsters kick us out."

Skipper sneered. "That's the best you could come up with? Those lobsters are a disgrace to the name of henchmen."

"Try saying that when you have refreshed lobsters piling on you while you're been fighting for hours," Rhonda snarled.

The two older penguins exchanged glances. Private tapped on Skipper's shoulders. "Why not just let them leave? If they're not working for Blowhole anymore, what threat are they to us?"

Skipper shook his head. "We're not sure if they're lying or not."

"But every second we waste could be fatal for Nathan!" argued Private, eyes flashing.

Skipper looked away in guilt. "What about we tie them up instead?"

Parker, having overheard that part, spoke up. "Whoa! What do we have to do to prove ourselves to you for you to believe us?"

Rhonda nodded. "Yeah. Think about it. What would we gain if we were really agents of Blowhole? If we wanted to capture you, we'd just send in the lobsters."

Kowalski bit his tongue in thought. "They do have a point, Skipper. These things don't really sound like Blowhole."

Skipper relented. "All right, then. We'll let you leave. Just remember, if you double-cross us, you're in a whole lot of pain."

Parker gave a curt nod. "Noted."

Skipper turned to his team. "Let's roll."

"Wait!" cried Rhonda.

The trio turned around. "What?" Skipper asked crossly.

"Why are you looking for Blowhole?"

Kowalski answered, words carefully chosen. "He has something of ours. And we want it back ASAP."

"We can help," Parker suggested. "We have a score against Blowhole as well."

Skipper shook his head immediately. "No can do. I trust you two as far as I can throw you."

Kowalski stopped him with a flipper. "We need the extra men, Skipper."

Skipper sighed reluctantly, accessing the two. "You can come. But you won't be together but instead with one of my men, each."

"Sounds like a fair deal, but we won't try anything. We just want to get back at that fish," said Rhonda.

Skipper ignored her, taking out the radio once more. "Billy, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear."

"There has been a change of plan."

* * *

><p><strong>Q &amp; A Time!<strong>

**1. What did you think of the story so far?**

**2. Is there anything you would like to see happen?**

**3. What do you think will happen next?**

**That's all for now. Stay tuned!**


	13. Top Lead

**Ello, everyone! Due to *coughs* I guess you could say circumstances, I have updated earlier! *cue applause* XD Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>"I don't trust them," announced Billy once more.<p>

Rico rolled his eyes as Skipper turned from the dashboard to face the driver. "You don't have to trust them, Billy. Just work with them."

"And it's rude to talk about someone like they can't hear you when they're in the same car," added Private, frowning.

Billy sighed. "They're at the back of the truck, Private. Besides, there's just something going on that–"

The music on the radio stopped abruptly, and the voice of Chuck Charles floated up. "Chuck Charles here, reporting live from just across Coney Island where a huge explosion just alerted all the emergency authorities."

They all glanced at each other, conversation ceasing.

"Authorities have requested all to stay clear of the area as they determine the threat level of this incident. Citizens nearby are also advised to stay in their homes."

The music returned.

Kowalski nodded slowly. "That's got to be Blowhole. Who knows what he's up to this time?"

Private shivered. "I hope it's nothing too important or deadly, or we might not reach Nathan in time."

Billy's eyes darkened. "He's going to pay for what he did to both me and Nat." The flippers around the steering wheel visibly clenched tighter.

Private shot a worried gaze his way as the vehicle reached approximately half a mile from the direct route to Coney Island. Rico leaned on the break, sending the truck to a halt. Billy jumped onto the driver's seat. "I don't want to go any closer for fear the humans might see us. All of us can swim, so I suggest we swim to Coney Island."

Rico estimated the distance to the island before nodding in agreement. "Not too far."

Skipper gave in. "We'll go easy so that we won't waste too much of our energy."

Private wanted to object, even opening his mouth, but the wisdom to those words caught up with him. "What do we do when we get there? Where's Blowhole's lair anyway?"

Kowalski indicated to the silent villains. "They'll be taking us to Blowhole through a way that he won't expect, and hopefully not lead us into a trap."

"Oh."

"Well, then. Let's dive." Skipper dove into the water, his team following him immediately with the villains and Billy at the back – the remaining penguin keeping an observant eye on them.

They reached the island in good time, all of them shaking the water droplets off their bodies. Skipper motioned for Parker to go first with Rhonda staying at her original spot at the line. "Rico, go back with Billy. Parker, lead the way."

They moved into their new positions before sneaking silently, entirely dependent on Parker. The platypus stopped in front of a wall, pressing a particular section and revealing a letter pad. "I don't know Blowhole's new number," he explained, "but this is the entrance to his layer."

Kowalski stepped up, thinking for a while before rapidly punching a word in. The wall slid open, a narrow hallway stretched out in front of them. "Whoa," breathed Rico, looking up at the tall ceilings then at the long corridor.

"It looks like a trap," Private said, voicing the penguins' inner thoughts.

Skipper stepped forward. "There's only one way to find out." He turned to Rico. "Penny me."

Rico regurgitated a coin right into Skipper's waiting flippers. The leader then took the penny and expertly rolled it across the floor.

Nothing happened.

Skipper turned to the rest of them. "Looks like it's clear of traps. Still…. Parker, you're up."

The mammal stepped up before tentatively walking down the hall, the rest of them following at a safe distance from each other so that they weren't completely bunched together. Within minutes, the group of seven found themselves in a large room with ceilings touching the sky. A large gap was in the middle of the roof, a threatening machine pointed right at the sky where the moon was standing.

"Welcome, pen-gu-ins."

It didn't take much to know who was talking. "Blowhole," snarled Skipper.

The dolphin sneered back. "Well, well, Skipper, looks like we meet again. Only this time… tie them up!"

Shockingly, the penguins suddenly had ropes tied around their flippers as well as on their feet. Cuffs had been added as an extra security measure, the magnetic properties in them trapping the team on a wall that had appeared behind them. Kowalski glanced around, finally glaring. "Parker. Rhonda. I knew we never should have trusted you."

The two villains shrugged. "It was your loss. Frankly, we never predicted you would give in so easily."

"We only did that because it would take us closer to finding Nathan!" cried Private, straining against the cuffs.

"Nathan?" Blowhole was momentarily confused. "Oh. That sole penguin who seemed bent on destroying me permanently. Never did remember what I did to him."

"He thought you had killed me!" yelled Billy in anger.

Blowhole frowned, examining Billy. "No. No. Couldn't have. Although you do bear a resemblance to one of that pair of agents who constantly foiled my plans. What was his name again? Ben? Brian? Bill?"

Billy shot him a look. "Billy?"

Blowhole grinned. "Yes! That was his name."

Rico rolled his eyes. "Cut to the chase!"

"Yeah!" Skipper agreed. "Tell us where you put Nathan!"

Blowhole stopped. "Nathan? That NPTA agent? I haven't seen him since the last time you all and he showed up in my warehouse."

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><p><strong>Dun! Dun! Dun...<strong>

**What did YOU think of this chapter? Be sure to review!**


	14. Not My Problem

They froze. "You mean you don't have him?" asked Billy.

"Why would I?" Blowhole replied. "Besides, he's a crafty one. Always blowing up my lairs. Being a villain isn't cheap, you know!"

Skipper groaned loudly. "Oh for goodness' sake! How many dead ends are we going to face? You'd think he just disappeared by himself!"

Private tried a smile. "Well, we know that he's not with Hans, Parker, Rhonda, or Blowhole."

Blowhole, bored with the conversation, started to speak again. "No matter. You have all arrived just in time to see me unleash, Operation: Bad Tidings!" A lone light shone on the doomsday device.

"Wha?" exclaimed Rico. "I thought we destroyed that already!"

Skipper shrugged. "We all know how this is going to turn out. We escape, defeat you, and then you're broke once more. Simple!"

Blowhole grinned. "We'll see how you manage to get out when the only way to open the cuffs is a key!" He took the tool up triumphantly.

Unfortunately for him, the key held magnetic properties, flying out of his grasp and landing on Skipper's right cuff. The dolphin face-flippered. "Oh crud."

Skipper smirked, expertly moving the key so that it unlocked his cuff. He took the key and opened the other cuffs before opening up the others in an amazing speed. "And this is how, Blowhole."

Said mammal glared before pressing a button on his Segway, the speakers announcing that the device was firing up. "Minions, attack!"

The lobsters charged in at once, while Parker and Rhonda took their place guarding the device. "We've got to get there before it fires!" yelled Skipper, throwing a lobster on two others.

"Is it too much to hope that the rental company will take it away before it fires?" asked Private, smiling hopefully.

They all turned to give him a look. The young penguin cringed. "I didn't think so."

Billy looked up. "Flip me! I'll disable the device while you all keep the lobsters back!"

Skipper immediately formed his flippers into a foothold, Billy placing one foot on it before the leader launched him up. The penguin flipped through the air, landing right in front of a surprised Parker. "This is for double crossing us!" Billy kicked the platypus in the face.

He nimbly dodged around Rhonda, looking for something to disarm the device. "Hurry up, Billy!" shouted Skipper. "We can't keep them back for much longer!"

He and Private were keeping the lobsters from swarming to the device while Kowalski and Rico attacked the crustaceans from behind. Billy glared at him, adrenaline coursing through his body. "I would if I could only find the flippin' switch!"

Kowalski took a second's pause, glancing at the machine. "Over there! Disconnect the plug!" He pointed to the wire. "It should render the machine useless!"

Billy turned and blinked. "It runs on electricity?" Nevertheless, he jumped down, pulling the plug off. The device shut down, and Billy held the wire in the air victoriously. "Yes! I did it!"

He stepped on a button.

_"Self destruct system, initiated."_

"Aw, come on!" shouted the penguin, looking at Blowhole. "Who keeps their self-destruct button on the floor?"

Blowhole shrugged. "It seemed like a good place to put it." He stole a look around at the chaos. "So long then, my foes!" Blowhole jumped into the water.

Parker sat up, rubbing his head. "Wait a minute! You haven't paid us yet!"

He and Rhonda both jumped in as well.

Private slid over to Billy. "We've got to go! Before this thing caves on itself!"

The penguins slid over to the water and jumped in as one. Seconds later, the entire lair exploded –firefighters, police officers, and news reporters rushing to the scene in minutes.

_"This is Chuck Charles here reporting live where a second explosion has rocked Coney Island. Officers are saying there has been a major gas leak, but witnesses think otherwise. Could it have been the result of a terrorist organization?"_

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><p><strong>I just love leading them to dead ends. XD <strong>**Poor Nathan, no one even knows where he is anymore...**


	15. When the Cloud Clears

**Hello! It's me again with another update! I'm updating pretty regularly now, right? Unfortunately, I'll be going on a holiday soon, and can't really depend on the internet where I'm going to. I'll still try to update as much as I can, though. For now, enjoy!**

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><p>"I can't believe we were so close!" Billy clenched his fists in frustration. "We nearly had him!"<p>

Private waddled next to him glumly, face downcast. "Oh, Nathan," he mumbled. "Where are you?"

Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico stopped, reaching down together to open up the sewer. "Come on, boys. Tunnel's down this way. We wouldn't want anybody seeing us."

The five jumped down before sliding home. Kowalski entered the code to allow them into their HQ, movements nearly robotic. He stepped in and….

"OW! What in the name of Newton's laws of gravity—" he looked down. "Huh?"

The entire floor was littered with mouse traps. Kowalski gingerly freed his foot before throwing it somewhere in the middle of the room, hearing multiple snaps as it landed. "Um, Skipper? Is this another of your training exercises?"

At that moment, the fishbowl entrance slid open, revealing a familiar face. "I knew I heard something!" exclaimed Marlene, beaming as she clung onto the ladder.

Skipper raised a brow, gesturing to their HQ. "Did you do this, Marlene?"

She nodded. "You guys owe me big time for keeping Julien out of here." She then noticed their faces. "What happened? Why the long faces?"

Billy shook his head. "We didn't find him, Marlene."

"Wait, find who?" asked Marlene, having never been informed of their little mission.

"My brother. Nat."

"Your brother is Nathan?"

"Oh." Billy blinked. "I forgot we hadn't told you any of this."

Skipper waved away the questions. "Story time can happen later. What we need to do now is to clear this place up. Rico, broom. Around five of them."

The penguin handed it to each of the penguins before quickly sweeping a path to Marlene and handing her a broom.

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

It took them a few minutes to clear the room. Of course, all they did was to sweep the mouse traps over to a corner of the room. The six sat around the stone table, each of them facing another but none daring to venture a word. At last, Billy sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Perhaps telling Marlene what happened will give us a new view on things."

Skipper nodded. "All right. I'll start. It all began like this….."

* * *

><p>"So that was a bummer."<p>

Billy deadpanned. "After hearing all that, that was all you could say?"

"Well, what else was I supposed to say?" Marlene defended. "I feel for your loss? 'Cos that just sounds cheese and not from the heart, you could say."

Skipper nodded grudgingly. "She does have a point."

* * *

><p>"Breakfast!" Topside, Alice threw the fish at the penguins, watching as they continued waving without eating the fish. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously before shrugging. "Whatever."<p>

* * *

><p>The six heard Alice as she served them their breakfast. Sighing, Marlene glanced at each of them with sorrow-filled eyes. "I've gotta go, guys. Zoo's about to begin."<p>

Billy nodded. "Go. We'll be fine."

Still, Marlene hovered hesitantly near the exit, weighing the pros and cons of just skipping today and spending it with the guys. Private sent her a sad but encouraging smile, and she made up her mind, leaving. Perhaps it would be good of them to have some time together. After all, they had all been especially close to Nathan.

* * *

><p>An hour later, the penguins are still in their same positions. Finally, Rico sighed. "This isn't getting us anywhere."<p>

"No, it's not," Private agreed. "But what can we do?"

They didn't notice two shadowy figures jump down silently into their HQ until it was too late. Private barely had enough strength to crack open an eye to see his comrades in similar positions on the floor. The last thing he saw was the intruders taking out some rope before he succumbed to the sleeping gas.

* * *

><p><strong>Ha! How do you like this cliff-hanger? It's a new twist to the plot, huh?<strong>

**Q & A Time!**

**Who do you think these new figures are?**

**Which villain do you think it is? (Hint: It's a canon villain from the show)**

**As always, stay tuned!**


	16. Pros and Cons of Being a Spy

**Hey, y'all! It's me again with yet another update. Soooooo, since I have already written out the entire chapter, I decided to post early. I'm not sure when the next update will be, however. Hopefully, I'll be able to get lots of writing done even if I don't have any internet.**

**Anywho, I tried out a new style of writing for this chapter, so tell me what you think of it in a review or PM! Enjoy. XD**

* * *

><p><span><em>Pros of Being a Spy<em>

· _Awesome Gadgets_

· _Expense-Paid Trip to Various Places_

· _Striking a Cool Battle Pose (especially during photo shoots)_

· _Defeating Bad Guys_

_Cons of Being a Spy_

· _Constantly looking over your back gives you back neck cricks_

· _Random training exercises that leave you paranoid for days_

· _Trips to places are usually spent for recon…. Not sightseeing._

· _And…. You never know which villain captured you THIS time_

"Private!"

"Yes, Skipper?" Private snapped up from his thoughts. _What was going on?_

"What are you doing? We're trying to figure out who caught us!" The leader looked slightly mad, although that was to be expected, given the circumstances.

Private resisted informing Skipper this was nothing new to them – Being captured, that is. They always found a way out at the end, so Private wasn't worrying. Help always came… sometimes even in the form of Mort falling from the roof. So the penguin rubbed the back of his neck, adopting a sheepish look. "Sorry, Skipper. I was weighing the pros and cons of being a spy. Or at least an agent of NPTA, at least."

His leader covered his eyes with a flipper, shaking his head. "Oh, Private. What am I going to do with you? Now isn't the time to question where your loyalties lie!"

"Yes, Skipper." Private waddled to join the huddled group.

They had been awake for at least an hour, according to Kowalski's hypothesis as well as a clock that Rico had regurgitated. After the initial shock of finding themselves stuck in cage fixed to the group, Skipper had the team working on who this villain could possibly be. Private didn't see the help in all the work, however. But he guessed that it was a good way to keep everyone from going crazy.

Apparently, that could happen. Or at least had happened according to Skipper when he had narrated the story of Manfredi and Johnson as well as another agent who had gone crazy after weeks of inactivity. After that incident, the agents always kept a ball and harmonica with them – to keep themselves busy. It had been the only story that didn't end up with the penguin agents dying or being tortured in some way or another. At times, Private even doubted the truth of these famous agents.

Billy sent him a sympathetic smile, and Private was hit with the fresh reminder of Nathan. The NPTA agent had smiled at him during a midnight trip to raid the zoo's warehouse. Billy's smile shared similarities to the one Nathan had sent when he had caught the tail end of a conversation. Skipper always meant well, though. That, Private knew despite the various reprimanding talks.

"It can't be Blowhole," said the twin. "He couldn't have gathered up his troops so quickly." He started scratching off the dolphin's name before Kowalski stopped him.

"It's highly unlikely, but I wouldn't scratch him off the list just yet. He's been known to surprise us before."

Billy bent down, creating another list on the dirt floor. "How 'bout a compromise? We'll put him under the 'highly unlikely' list."

Private peeked at the list and blinked. There were a lot of names he recognized – namely Dr. Blowhole, the Red Squirrel, Hans, Clemson, Rhonda, Parker, Officer X, etc. – as well as names he didn't recognize – Neil, Black Ram, etc. The youngest never realized they had so many enemies.

"What about Hans?" suggested Skipper, eyes flashing with the memory of the Danish puffin.

Private shook his head, offering his own thoughts. "It can't be."

They all turned to him. "Why not?" croaked Rico.

The younger penguin shifted nervously. "I caught a peek of the intruders before I blacked out."

It had been more of a fuzzy, half-disillusioned dream, but peek was as good of a word as any, right?

Skipper perked up, arctic eyes lighting up in what one could only say to be anticipation of news. "What did they look like?"

Private frowned. "I couldn't say for sure, but they were fuzzy and slightly more than a shadow, but I would've sworn they were oversized insects."

Oh great. Now he sounded like a raving lunatic. Oversized insect? Really? It had sounded more reasonable in his head.

"Oversized insects….hmm…"

They were actually considering it! Geez…. Either they were really as crazy as Marlene thought they were, or his superiors had participate in WEIRD missions and mishaps. Private hoped it was more of the latter than the former.

Kowalski scoffed. "Oversized insects? Are you sure they weren't lobsters?"

At least one of them was sane. Well... kinda sane. It _was _Kowalski, after all. The scientist had once created a live jelly creature, not to mention name it Jiggles. It other words, Private wasn't sure about Kowalski's sanity.

Still, Private nodded vigorously. "Yes. They were definitely _not_ lobsters."

Billy sat down, not caring about the dust. "Oversized insects? Sounds like a mutation—" He froze, as well as the others – well, excluding Private, that is. "Wait! That's it! Who do we know of who tinkers around with mutations?"

"Blowhole?" offered Private. Who else could it be?

"Seems like a likely choice, but what about Dr. Krill?" Billy tapped his flippers on the floor, absentmindedly drawing a picture of a leopard seal with glasses.

"Unlikely." Skipper shook his head. "He doesn't have anything against us! Plus, he's locked up."

"Maybe not against _you,_ but Nathan and I _are_ on his revenge list for putting him in jail."

"Put him on the list, Kowalski."

Private decided to speak up. "Who's Dr. Krill?"

"A mad scientist," explained Rico, pointing to Kowalski. He grinned to show that it was merely a joke.

Kowalski glanced up. "Who experimented on various types of sea creatures," he added.

"And is a leopard seal," finished Billy with a clench of his flippers.

Private frowned, biting his tongue. How could he tell them it couldn't have been Dr. Krill? According to his superiors, Dr. Krill only experimented on sea creatures. These intruders weren't sea creatures… they looked more like ….. Humongous ants. But there was no way that could happen…. Right? He kept silent.

"What about—"

The door slid open, the sudden burst of light nearly blinding them. A shadow appeared at the doorway, silhouetted for a moment before the figure stepped closer.

"Remember me?"

"No!" gasped Billy, taking a step back as his eyes fixed on the newcomer. His voice was laced with horror. "You're supposed to be dead!"

* * *

><p><strong>*blinks* I just ended the cliffhanger from the previous chapter with another one. Wow. *grins* Keeps you all on suspense and on the edge of your seat, huh?<strong>

**XD**


	17. Mastermind Behind It All

**Yes! I've updated earlier! Just one day after the last one - from Drabble Maniac. You all are lucky I'm trying to update whenever I can...**

**Well, I've come to the conclusion that I _love _ending chapters with a cliffhanger. Haha. Just like Rick Riordan, if any of you have read his books. Anywho, just to say... a warning, if you will.  
><strong>

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"No!"<em> gasped Billy, taking a step back as his eyes fixed on the newcomer. His voice was laced with horror. "You're supposed to be dead!"<em>

"Well, that wasn't the welcome I had been expecting," the figure cocked her head. "What? No hello?"

While her words seemed to flow with compassion, her crafty smile and eyes spoke different stories.

Skipper furrowed his brow before widening his eyes in recognition. "Penguin Enemy No. 2!"

"Penguin Enemy No. 2?" repeated Private. "The White Widow?"

The villain bowed sarcastically. "At your service." She sighed, taking a chair and sitting. "It took you _so _long just to get this far that I lost my patience. So, instead of waiting for you to come to me, I came to you. Doesn't it all work out?"

"Wait, you were the one who captured Nathan?" Private blinked.

"Correct! Point for the boy!"

"What about the villains? Did you send them too?"

"Not exactly. Just dropped a few hints here and here as well as spread some rumors. Nothing much."

Billy had backed up to the side of the wall, his face a picture of fear. "The White Widow. Albino spider monkey. Nathan. So much pain," he whispered. His left flipper unconsciously rubbed against the right.

_"__Billy!"_

_ "__Nat!"_

_ "__No! Don't take him! Take me instead!"_

_Nathan broke away from his captor's grip, head-butting the minion that was holding his brother against his will. "Run, Billy!"_

_ "__I won't leave you!"_

"I won't leave you," Billy mouthed silently.

Kowalski turned to him in worry. "Billy? Are you all right?" Billy murmured the same words again.

White chuckled. "He can't hear you. Or maybe he can…. just too afraid to answer."

"What did you do to him?" demanded Skipper, clutching the bars of the cage.

"Nothing. He's just reliving some old memories."

Kowalski widened his eyes. "Torture. You tortured them, didn't you? You – you played with their minds!"

White beamed, pleased. "I'm glad _somebody _finally figured it out!"

"'The Snow Mystery'," recited Kowalski. "'After Operation: Forestall, the Snow Twins were declared MIA. Nathan Snow was found on February 18th outside an abandoned warehouse, unconscious. Billy Snow was nowhere to be found. Nathan regained consciousness later but refused to speak for weeks. Torture was suspected to have been used, but no physical signs of it were found. As for mental torture, there was no way to be sure unless heard from Nathan himself.' A few weeks later, they declared Billy dead. And a month after that, Nathan quit NPTA…. It was all you!"

"The one and only."

Private knelt down beside the frozen penguin, waving a flipper in front of the glazed eyes. "Billy? Can you hear me? Please, answer."

Nothing.

White grinned – a smile that sent chills down the penguins' back. "Maybe something like this will help him recover his memories." She snapped her fingers. Robotic arms reached down from the ceiling to grab Billy – the penguin now thrashing around like there was no tomorrow.

"Hang on, Billy!" yelled Skipper, an idea forming in his head. "Rico, chainsaw!"

The penguin tried regurgitating the weapon out, to no avail.

"I took the liberty of stopping him using a few anti-spewing medicine," White added, turning towards the exit nonchalantly. "Oh, and you might want to leave Billy alone for a while. He can get a little….. violent."

"What?"

But White was already gone, the door sliding shut behind her.

Not wasting anytime, Private jumped up on an arm, trying to pull it down. The others quickly followed his lead. "Come on! Get down!"

But the robots could not be deterred. They lifted the four penguins effortlessly – more arms coming to ensure that the flightless birds were locked tight. A lone mechanical arm stretched down, holding a deadly looking syringe filled with the brim with an evil-looking green substance. Billy was injected – the penguin immediately slumping down, knowing he was defeated.

The others were freed, hurrying to Billy's side. "Stay with me, Billy," Skipper ordered, slightly slapping the penguin as his eyes drooped down.

_Nathan slumped down, as if dead._

_ "__Nat!"_

_ "__Don't worry. He's still alive."_

_ "__What did you do to him?" Billy accused, seeing red._

_The figure grinned. "Wait and see. Just wait and see."_

Billy shook his head slowly, his eyes closed now. "It's no use, Skipper," he mumbled. "No use to fight it. It's impossible. Just – just stay away. I don't want any of you to get hurt."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

><p>"White Widow," Nathan snarled. "Come to gloat?"<p>

The penguin was definitely worst for wear. His flippers and feet were latched on to the wall –bloody marks where the chain had rubbed him sore. Scars and scabs covered his body – vivid reminders of what he had gone through the last few days.

"On the contrary, Nathan," White replied. "I've simply come to complete the last phase of my plan."

"Oh yeah?"

White raised a brow. "Yes. But to do that, I shall need you to regain _all _your memories."

Nathan scoffed. "I assure you – my memory is fine."

She smiled. "Well, that's where you're wrong." She took out a needle. "Remember this?"

Nathan stared at the green liquid – his entire body stiff and frozen.

_"__Ahh!" Nathan felt as if his entire body was on fire as well as being attacked by unseen claws. His flippers automatically 'attacked' his body as he jerked around almost like he was having a seizure._

_Through the tears, he could see his brother kneel next to him. "Nathan! You're hurting yourself!"_

_Was he? Nathan just wanted to get the claws off him._

_Then, suddenly, his flippers were held down – someone's weight on top of him. He was vaguely aware of someone yelling._

_ "__Stop!" Huh, strange. It sounded a lot like Billy._

_Nevertheless, Nathan immediately flung his forehead in front of him, both pleased and surprised at the sound of pain that followed soon after._

_Ignoring the raging pain, he attacked his assailant._

_Strange…. the assailant was merely defending!_

_For a split second, Nathan saw his brother's anguished face in front of him – flipper coming up to block a high kick. Nathan shook his head. No! It wasn't his brother. It couldn't be! So, he kept fighting – his mind telling him that he was protecting his brother and not fighting against his own twin._

"I take it that, by your silence, you do remember. Well, that only makes it easier for it to do it's magic. Oh, and don't worry. This one is finally perfected."

"Tricked," whispered Nathan. "We were all tricked. Pawns on the chess board just going where you wanted us to go. And to think, we thought we were doing good."

"Well, no need to feel grief over it. After all, there was no way you could have won from the start."

She injected the helpless penguin.

* * *

><p><strong>*hides to avoid angry crowd* In my defense, at least the chapters are longer now! XD<strong>


	18. Effects of the Serum

**Hello! It's me again with another update! I bet you weren't expecting one so quickly, eh? Well, I felt bad leaving you all on another cliffhanger. So, here's the next chapter! Hurray! Not so much a cliffhanger in this one... not much at least. XD**

* * *

><p>"You'll<em> never get away with this, White," snarled Nathan. "The NPTA – they'll uncover your secret organization here, and stop your experimentations."<em>

_"__On the contrary, I think I already did." She smiled. "And you two are going to help me develop the perfect mixture for bringing in bad memories. Can you imagine the pain and fear it will be able to cause without any of the physical damage? Tortured victims will go through the same punishment again and again until I get what I want. Isn't that amazing?"_

_"__In a sick, twisted sense," said Billy. "We'll never help you."_

_"__Oh, I never said it was voluntary."_

Billy regained consciousness and found that four penguins were positioned on him – effectively rendering him helpless. His head pounded, and he tasted something metallic in his mouth. "What happened?" he groaned.

"Billy!" cried Private. "You're awake!"

"Why wouldn't I—" he froze, mind instantly replaying snapshots of the mental torture. "Oh."

They got off him – Skipper lending a flipper to help the penguin up. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have a major hangover or something," the other groaned. "Splitting headaches as well as a dull pain across my entire body. Every single time!"

"What do you mean?" questioned Kowalski.

"Well, the serum becomes addicting after a while…. But once you're over it, yet once you start it again…." He left the sentence unfinished.

Though his tone was light, the others could sense the pain and fear beneath his words.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Billy?" gasped Nathan, shaking himself out of his stupor._

_His brother attempted a weak smile. "It's good to have you back, Nat."_

_Nathan took half a step forward before backing away, guilt in his eyes. "Oh, Billy. What have I done to you?"_

_"__It's all right, Nat. You were under the influence of the potion."_

_"__But I was supposed to protect you!" Nathan ran a flipper through his feathers. "Mom and Dad trusted me to do that. NOT let some stupid mixture control me."_

_"__I'm fine, Nat. It's not your fault. Don't beat yourself over it."_

_Making up his mind, Nathan slumped down beside his brother, placing a flipper over Billy's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Billy. I wish I could say it would never happen again, but…. You know I don't make promises I don't intend or think I can keep."_

_"__You've already been forgiven a long time ago, Nat."_

_Nathan closed his eyes, resting his head on the wall behind him. "What are we going to do, Billy? How do we defeat something we can't touch? How can we fight against it when all we're doing is fighting each other?"_

_ "__I-I don't know, Nat." Billy smiled, despite the dire situation. "But I know you'll find a way out of this mess. You always do."_

Nathan woke with tears in his eyes. He angrily rubbed them away, freezing as he was in the middle of the action. Wait? When could he move his flippers? He blinked rapidly before getting to his feet rather unsteadily. When was he moved into a cage?

After the after-effects of the potion had reduced to something the penguin was able to handle in his weakened state, Nathan felt a ball of dread in his gut. He glanced at the entrance of the room – a thin line of light the only indication that he had. "What have you done this time, Billy?"

But it was impossible. Nathan felt more tears gather in his eyes. Billy was gone. Dead. Nathan had failed to protect him. Failed his parents. Failed his duty and now Billy was no longer with him. No, he had been killed by B—NO! Not Blowhole. The White Widow. Nathan clutched the metal bars of his cage tightly. And now, he was going to avenge his brother's death even if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

><p>"We've got to get out of here," declared Billy. The effects of the drug had worn off rather quickly, although Kowalski concluded that it was because Billy had experience with it. "We know that White has Nathan, and our best bet is that it's somewhere in this lair of hers."<p>

"That's all good and all, but how exactly are we even supposed to get out of here in the first place?" exclaimed Skipper.

Billy frowned, slumping down. "I don't know! Somehow, I guess," his voice laced with exhaustion and grief. "Rico? Anything yet?"

The penguin tried regurgitating a paperclip, to no avail. He shook his head, sadly. "Nuh uh."

"I _know _he's out there. I can feel it!"

The door creaked open, two figures appearing. "We've got orders for you to be separated into different cages. Just come out quietly, and we shouldn't have any trouble."

Private gasped, taking a step backward. "You really are giant ants!"

The insects glanced at each other with an amused expression. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

The other one, or Ant Two – as they had all dubbed him – rolled his eyes. "C'mon, you lot. Out with you."

They seemed so friendly and good-natured that Private doubted they would actually do anything if the penguins tried to escape. However, when Billy tried to fight them, a robotic gun appeared instantly – shooting Billy in the back. They all gasped.

Ant One looked down at the avian with gloomy eyes. "We did warn you."

Billy squirmed in pain.

"The effects won't last long," the insect added.

Sure enough, the pain stopped when all of them were in separate cages. Billy propped himself up with a flipper, gasping. "That is some _strong _stuff. I can't believe I forgot about them."

Ant Two shrugged. "Your loss."

More ants piled into the room, each of them positioned behind a penguin. "Wheel them out," instructed Ant One, as Ant Two surveyed the others – helping when necessary. "Then attach them to the hooks and lift them onto the ceiling."

"Wait what?" demanded Skipper. "There shall me no 'lifting on ceilings' if I can help it!"

"You can't do anything about it," the Ant wheeling him replied cheekily.

Skipper glared at the Ant – who was actually not more than a boy, to his surprise. "We'll see about that."

The Ant smiled good-naturedly. "Whatever you say."

* * *

><p>"Oh, Nathan?"<p>

"What do you want _now, _White? Nuclear launch codes? Passwords? You'll never get them out of me."

"Actually, I have a surprise for you."

Nathan was instantly suspicious. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll see."

His cage was unlocked and chains tying his hands together with another chain attached to it and hanging down to attach to the ones around his feet. Two Ants were positioned beside him as well as one behind. Nathan had no choice but to shuffle along after White as she left the room.

Nathan heard angry, muffled yells from the room they were heading to. He raised a brow, summoning bravery far more than he actually had. "What is it, White? Captured some poor helpless souls?"

To his surprise, White flashed a grin his way. "Oh, something like that, Nathan. Something like that."

Nathan didn't like this one bit.

* * *

><p>"Let us out this instant! That's an order!" commanded Skipper, angrily rocking his cage back and forth.<p>

"It's no use, Skipper," muttered Billy.

"What is with you? What happened to 'gathering troops and saving your brother'?"

"Don't you see! I can't do it! I'll never find him! And knowing that he's alive, but I can't see him is worse than thinking he was dead!"

Private looked down worriedly. "Actually, I think you'll be finding him soon, Billy. In fact, sooner than you'd expect." He pointed down.

Billy sucked in an anxious breath. "No," he breathed.

* * *

><p>"Where's this so-called 'surprise' of yours, White?"<p>

"Look up."

Nathan saw a face he never hoped to see again stare down at him. Two sets of eyes met each other, and Nathan stumbled back immediately. "Impossible."

* * *

><p><strong>See yah in the next chapter!<strong>


	19. Choices to Make

**19. Choices to Make**

"Billy?" Nathan wanted to rub the dust out of his eyes.

"Nathan." Billy broke out into a huge grin as his older brother stared at him with disbelieving eyes.

"But that's – that's impossible! Y-You died! I saw Blow—no, White, shoot you with her blaster!" he objected.

Before Billy could answer, White laughed. "I can't believe the mind-scrambler serum worked until now! Only counter-acted by a dose of the memory potion. Amazing."

The brothers glared at her – Nathan more so than Billy. "Let them go, White," the former NPTA agent growled – the look on the face murderous. "And perhaps I'll give you mercy."

"You and what army? Anyway, you'll see that I can't." White skimmed up a chain, stopping beside Private. "I need them to have the upper hand."

"What do you want?"

"Access to the NPTA systems."

All of them knew about the various names, numbers, and codes in the agency's mainframe. It would spell instant disaster if a villain managed to get his or her hands on it.

"No" was the natural and instantaneous answer. But he knew he didn't have any leverage to back it up, whereas White had plenty.

"I knew you'd say that. Which one do you want to see fall to their deaths first?" White jumped from chain to chain. "Perhaps Skipper? No? Kowalski, then? Or Rico? What about Private? Or maybe, your long-lost brother?"

Nathan froze, hesitating. _What do I do? The right thing would be for them to die for the sake of others – they knew what they were signing up for when they joined the NPTA. But…. I can't do it. I can't just watch as Private falls to his death. Or Skipper, Kowalski, or Rico. Nor can I just watch my brother slip from my grasp once more…. Not again._

"Don't do it, Nat!" Billy's voice snapped him from his thoughts.

"Silence!"

Billy's cage precariously dropped. Nathan gasped, straining against his chains in a futile attempt to save his brother. The cage stopped just in time – a second's pause before bringing Billy up once more.

"So? Who will it be, Nathan?"

Billy caught his brother's eye. _Don't do it. Once she gets access to the system, she'll have the world at her fingertips!_

Nathan shook his head. _I-I can't lose you again. Not again. Not ever._

_Oh, Nathan._ Billy shook his head sadly. _I wish we'd met under better circumstances._

_As do I, my brother._

"I'll make you a deal, White."

The other penguins gasped.

"I want your word that you let all of them go, safely and without harm, before I help you."

"How do I know you're not tricking me?"

"You can stand beside me as I do it."

"Deal."

The cages lowered, setting the prisoners on the floor.

"Don't do it, Nat!"

"I don't have a choice, Billy." Nathan glanced at the others. "Take good care of them for me."

"Nat!"

* * *

><p>"Happy, White?" growled the penguin.<p>

"Delighted."

"I'll start the operation, but I want proof of their safety before I continue."

"Fine."

* * *

><p>"Let go of us, you—"<p>

Private covered his ears at Skipper's insults. "I don't think that's helping much, Skipper."

"Eh, it sure helps me."

Private sighed. Their cages were opened, all of them dumped out outside the warehouse. "Oof!"

Skipper was on his feet in a flash. "You think you can just dump us out like that?"

The door clanged shut.

"It won't work," murmured Billy. "It's over."

"What's the matter with you?" Skipper nudged him with a foot. "It's not over until you give up."

"Don't you see?" Billy exploded. "The NPTA system will be hacked, and Nathan will be killed!"

"What makes you think the system's so easy to be cracked?" challenged Skipper. "We still have time!"

"I know Nathan will be able to get in. After all, he was the one who designed it in the first place."

* * *

><p>"Are they still out there?" Ant Five asked.<p>

Ant Six glanced out. "Yeah. Arguing with themselves."

The other sighed. "I don't see why we have to stay here 'till they leave. It's not like they're going to get in anytime soon."

"White's orders. You know how she gets when you don't follow them."

Five grimaced. "Unfortunately, I do. Still, how'll they ever get in, anyway?"

The door exploded, sending the two insects flying. Skipper smirked from the entrance. "That's how."

Billy flipped over the debris. "Come on, guys! We don't have much time left."

Kowalski raised a brow at the two unconscious guards. "I can't believe they fell for the act long enough for Rico to place the explosives."

Private grinned. "And Rico sure is glad to be able to regurgitate things again."

"Oh yeah," Rico agreed enthusiastically, his chainsaw held out and readied.

Billy smiled back at them. "I just hope we'll make it in time."

* * *

><p>"How much longer?"<p>

"Have patience. I'm only half-way through," snapped the penguin, wincing as his leg jarred against a table leg.

"I don't see why you're so cranky." The spider monkey hung upside down from a chain. "After all, your friends and brother are out safety, like I promised."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm destroying the whole world!"

"Geez. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"As you recall, I didn't _have _a bed. Now shush. I need silence." A pause. Nathan saw something out of the corner of his eye. "And food and drinks."

White rolled her eyes. "Do as he says," she ordered an Ant.

Once again, a shadow disappeared from Nathan's sight. He hid a grin. _You're in for a real surprise, White._

* * *

><p>Billy crouched down, his eyes gleaming. "In three."<p>

Skipper smirked. "Two."

"One."

"NOW!"

The five jumped down from the shadows, knocking down a few minions. "Hello, White," grinned Billy. "Happy to see me?"

White glared at him, anger in her eyes. "Get 'em," she ordered her Ants.

As the minions marched forward to engage in the outnumbered penguins, Nathan stopped with his progress, a grin stretching across his face as he crossed his flippers proudly. "It's over, White. Give up now."

She shook her head. "Not yet, it isn't. Not until I give up."

"Then you're going to die, White. Or be captured."

"So be it. At least I'll know I lived my life to the fullest."

She launched herself at him. Despite his poor conditions, Nathan managed to draw on his reserves and back-flip out of the way. "So we end with a fight?" The penguin smirked, positioning himself in a classic karate stance.

White raised a brow – her expression incredulous as if to say, _did you really just ask that. _"Always."


	20. Having the Upper 'Hand'

**Ello! It's me again! ... there's not much to say, so enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Hook Kick. Duck. Flip. Duck. Punch. Sweep. Kick. Spin. Crouch. Back kick. Flip. Block. Upper cut. Side kick. Jump.<p>

It was almost like a dance – a deadly and vicious one, that is. "Tired already?" taunted Nathan, trying not to show any signs of fatigue.

"Actually, I'm still energized," White countered, smiling. "On the other hand, you look like you could use a break."

"Never," he spat out.

* * *

><p>"Duck, Private!" breathed Billy, throwing an Ant his way.<p>

Private ducked immediately, finding his opponent knocked away. "Thanks, Billy." They were both breathing hard.

"No problem." He punched another Ant and flipped over the other.

"Look out!"

Billy crouched back just as an Ant 'flew' his way. "Thanks." He glared at the culprit who had thrown the insect at him. "Watch it!"

Rico grinned sheepishly at him, somehow finding time to throw him a wave.

Billy rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Do you think Nathan needs help?" Kowalski kicked an Ant away.<p>

Skipper paused, the two Ants he was using as weapons slumping onto the floor. He frowned thoughtfully as the agent skimmed up a chain. "Nah. I think he's fine. Although, it could be a spot of trouble if he falls."

Kowalski raised a brow. "If you say so."

"Are you questioning my authority?"

A pause, before "No…."

Glare that cut like knives.

Kowalski smiled sheepishly. "Uh…. Look out?"

Skipper gave the Ant behind him a roundhouse kick. "Don't think you're getting off this so easily, Kowalski. We're still talking about this when we get home."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>"Oh, Nathan?" White was taunting him. "I have a surprise for you."<p>

Nathan was starting to develop a distaste for surprises. "Oh yeah? What is it?"

"If I told you now, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?"

"I suppose not." It didn't matter how long he was waiting. White would tell him before long.

"Nathan!"

Nathan's heart stopped. "No," he breathed, turning slowly around and dreading what he was about to see.

"Like the surprise?" White crowed. "A special trap placed managed to capture the two people you care about most! Ironic, isn't it?"

Billy glanced at him ashamedly from the cage. "Sorry," he mouthed.

Nathan seemed to deflate. "I-I'll do it."

"Don't, Nathan!" Billy pleaded.

Nathan pretended not to hear anything as he followed White to another, more enclosed and secure room.

* * *

><p>"Private and Billy have been captured, sir," Kowalski reported dutifully.<p>

"You think I don't know that?" Skipper growled

"And Nathan is being forced to do White's bidding."

"Kowalski," began Skipper. "You're about this close to me strangling you. I have eyes! I can see."

Kowalski wisely chose to say nothing.

* * *

><p>"Why aren't they getting us out?" Private asked. "We need to get Nathan and stop White!"<p>

"Well, Skipper and Kowalski are, at current, preoccupied with the swarm of Ants. Plus, they don't have the necessary tools to free us," replied Billy.

"What about Rico?"

Billy blinked, his eyes scanning the room. "Huh, funny, I don't see—"

A lock clattered against the metal. The two penguins spun around to see Rico – grinning like crazy and holding a paperclip.

They returned his smile. "Atta boy, Rico."

* * *

><p>"I never understand why you villains <em>always <em>want to take over the world," complained Nathan. "Why take over the world? Then no one will be able to stop you, nor will they be anyone for you to fight against. Isn't it _boring?_"

"This is why you're not a villain," White replied. "You'll never understand." She thought for a while. "Plus, there'll be rebels. There're always rebels."

Nathan paused for a while. "I can't believe we're even having this conversation," he noted.

"Hey!" objected White. "It was _you _who started it in the first place."

The penguin shook his head. "That's what makes it even worse."

* * *

><p>"I wonder what this button does."<p>

Billy glanced over. "Why don't you press it and find out?"

"I don't know," Private doubted. "What if it's the self-destruct system or something?"

"Nah. It can't be. The self-destruct system is over there."

"Oh."

"So, are you going to press it or is Rico gonna do it?"

Private pressed the button. A group of inactive lasers fixed on the ceiling sprang to life and began shooting the moving objects below – friend and foe alike. Private gasped as Kowalski managed to grab an Ant to use as a shield before a laser struck. "Oh dear."

Billy and Rico were beaming. "I don't see why you're so wore worried. This is great! It'll even the odds!"

"You're _not _helping!"

* * *

><p>Kowalski wanted to strangle his commander. "Skipper, the others are waiting for us! We'll be able to seal the Ants in here, so STOP FIGHTING!"<p>

Skipper frowned. "You know, I'm not sure whether I like it that you're YELLING AT YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER!"

Kowalski took a breath to calm himself down. "All right then," he finally said. "We'll be doing to final battle with White alone."

"Wha?"

Skipper slid over to the door in record time – Kowalski close behind.

* * *

><p>"The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All day long."<p>

"Would you shush up?" Nathan yelled. "I'm _trying _to concentrate here!"

Silence. Nathan went back to his work. Then–

"Mary had a little lamb. Little lamb. Little lamb. Mary had a little lamb. It's fleece was white as snow." White burst out laughing. "Get it? _White _as _Snow_?"

"Haha. You're hilarious," Nathan said dryly. "I also think you're mentally insane." He thought for a while. "You know, I have a nursery rhyme just for you."

"Oh?"

"Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and—"

"No. No. No! That one is no good."

* * *

><p>"Left!" Skipper concluded.<p>

"No, I say right!" Billy objected.

"My gut says left!"

"_Mine _says right! So it _has _to be right."

"That made no sense!"

"_You _make no sense!" Billy shot back childishly.

Private sighed. "Kowalski? Are we going to tell them anytime soon that the map says to go straight?"

Kowalski scoffed. "You want _me _to tell them? I don't want my head bitten off."

Thus, in the end, it was Rico who grabbed the two arguing penguins and pushed them to the hallway in the middle.

"Rico! What are you doing, soldier?"

"Hey! What was that for?"

Rico took the map from Kowalski's flippers, showing them the marked route. Skipper blinked. "Huh, what'da'ya know. It's a compromise."

"But mine's still righter."

"No, mine is."

"How can yours be right? You said left!"

"What are you even talking about now?"

* * *

><p>"You'll never get away with this, White."<p>

"So you've said for the past ten minutes."

"Yeah. I know. It just feels like something I needed to say."

"How much longer?"

"Why don't you look at the status bar yourself?"

"Nah. I can't be bothered. I'm busy eating here, you know."

"Oh, why don't we _all _have a lunch break while we're at it, huh?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you need to hack into the NPTA's mainframe."

"Says the monkey who was busy singing nursery rhymes."

"Hey! I was bored."

* * *

><p>"Is this the one?" asked Billy.<p>

Kowalski looked down at the map. "I should be."

Skipper tried the handle. "But it's not even locked! It can't be the right room!"

"You never know until you try, Skipper," Kowalski countered.

"Ugh fine!" Skipper turned the handle and pushed the door. "You see, Kowalski. Never argue against—"

Billy pointed inside the room.

Skipper turned. "Huh. What do you know. You're right, Kowalski.

* * *

><p><strong>*rolling on the floor, laughing silently* Please don't kill me. I figured we might as well have a filler chapter before the final <em>final<em>, I say, fight, eh? *backs away slowly* And now I don't feel safe with those look on your faces...**


	21. Out of Time

**Merry Christmas! Here's a present for you all!**

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><p>"White! I hereby arrest you on the charges of—" Skipper shouted, rolling his eyes mentally.<p>

NPTA SOPs could be such a bore…. And a waste of valuable time, as Nathan had finished the exact moment they had opened the door. Then again, they _had _taken a long time wandering through the lair, knocking out any Ants they happened to chance upon. Although exactly _where _Kowalski had gotten the map from was still a mystery …. which would probably _remain _a mystery for a long time.

Nathan slapped his forehead – an action that did _not _properly summarize the situation. Private frowned at White's finger on the button. "Oh dear. It would seem like we're a bit too late."

Well, _duh._

Nathan pounced on White – threatening to tie her up only to have her nimbly jump out of the way. Kowalski slid over to the computer, frantically typing commands. "What did she do, Nathan?" he exclaimed.

The penguin ducked, rolled, and flipped to a safe location before answering. "I don't know!" He glared at the albino monkey. "What did you do, White?" _She couldn't have done it, could she? _

She smirked, tauntingly abandoning her battle position for a relaxed pose with a finger on her cheek while mockingly thinking. "Let me remember…. Oh yes, just sent nuclear warheads to everyone I have a grudge on. Nothing much."

_She didn't!_

Nathan turned to Kowalski with a stricken expression on his face. The strategist nodded back grimly. Private propped himself on the electrical device with his flipper. "She's sent them to Chicago—"

"There was a mouse there that kept eating all the contents in my larder," White said.

"Cuba—"

"That walrus there loved threatening me with his so-called _dangerous _weapons." White rolled her eyes.

"Bern—"

"The Swiss. Never did like them for some reason."

"Beijing."

"The panda there _always _wins in staring competitions!"

Yeah, some of these reasons weren't even valid for revenge...

"And even New York!"

"Ah, yes." White rubbed her hands together. "I have a group of penguins located in Central Park there who keep foiling my plans. Perhaps you know them?"

Rhetorical, of course.

Abandoning his fight with the mammal, Nathan slid over to Kowalski, nearly pushing the penguin away. "Keep White busy while I try to reverse the order," he commanded.

"What?" White screeched.

She bounded over only to be knocked back by Billy, who flashed a grin at her. "Not so fast, White."

And so began the final battle.

* * *

><p>Nathan grounded his beak together in frustration. Every time he felt like he was gaining 'ground' he was pushed back by the numerous firewalls White had installed in the system. He tried another path, worming through the virtual wall and by passing the security bots only to have his progress stopped by incredibly advanced bots that had no intention of letting him through.<p>

"How's it going, Nat?" asked his brother.

"Not good" came the reply. "Not good at all."

Kowalski slid over to see if he could help. "It'll soon be too late to stop everything," he warned.

"I know!" he shot back. "But it's blocking my every move! There's no easy, quick way to get in without—" Here he paused, as if having some profound revelation. "White's fingerprint!"

With that, he flipped over backward – somehow knowing that White was right behind him. "Help me get her to the computer!" he shouted.

"No!" objected White as her limbs were suddenly in the air. Squirming and biting did little to help her predicament, however.

"Her finger!" ordered Nathan. "Before it's too late!"

White's finger pressed against the scanner, and the screen turned green for a split second in confirmation before asking for password. "Oh for—" Nathan literally shoved the others away, typing furiously.

_3_

_2_

_1_

Then…

_"__Password accepted. Missile launch request: Denied."_

The penguins slumped down in relief, sighing loudly. All of them had different thoughts running through their heads, but the generally meaning could be gleaned. _Thank goodness we stopped White and the warheads in time._

Skipper patted Nathan on the back with a smile. "Good job, rookie," he said, teasing a little.

"Rookie?" Nathan raised a brow, returning his smile. "Who's the rookie, old man?"

Their relief and happiness was short-lived, however, at the insane laughter of White. "Skipper," began Private, inching away from the monkey. "What's going on?"

"You may have stopped the missiles," she cackled. "But you might want to hurry home if you want to save your home."

Skipper's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "You didn't!"

Her grin said otherwise, though. "Oh, yes. I did. I placed a bomb in the Central Park Zoo."

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><p><strong>...I will update soon... don't worry. <strong>


	22. From Up Above

**Hey all you readers! It's me again! With another chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>"Oh,<em> yes. I placed a bomb in the Central Park Zoo."<em>

"What?" exploded Skipper. "_When _did you have the time to do _that_?"

White seemed to be enjoying this _way _too much for their liking. Oblivious to the death glares, she pretended to think a while. "Why, when my Ants gassed you, they had time to place a bomb in your HQ, of course!"

Private closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath to prevent a scream from rising up. "Penguin Enemy No. 2," he muttered angrily. "She's been more trouble than Red ever was!"

Nathan shook his head quickly, glancing at the exit. "No time for that. We've got to get to the zoo ASAP!"

They all slid to the door before Kowalski froze, looking back at the laughing monkey. "What about White?"

They all stopped in their tracks. "Um," ventured Billy. "Just tie her up or something. That'll at least slow her down."

* * *

><p>"Where are you nincompoops going? We've got intel that the White Widow is here!"<p>

"Buck?"

"Of course it's me!"

Skipper blinked twice before shaking his head. "Uh, yeah. White's in there all right. She should still be tied up, actually." He took the map from Kowalski. "Just follow the path to this room, and you should be fine. Also, don't open this room unless you want Ants swarming over you."

"What's a bunch of ants going to do?"

"It's a long story."

Billy cut in. "We'd love to stay and chat, but we've got places to be and people to save."

The agent grabbed his flipper. "Where do you think you're going? We've got a villain to catch!"

He shook off the agent. "I'm sure _you _do, but we've got better things to do. Bye!"

With that, they all slid away, leaving a bewildered penguin agent in their wake.

* * *

><p>"This is hopeless. We'll never reach there in time."<p>

"Don't be such a downer, Kowalski."

"I'm not a downer. I'm a realist."

"Whatever you say."

Nathan hopped to his feet, before sliding left. Billy followed him without a sound, but Skipper spoke up as they came to a stop. "Where are you going? It's the wrong way!"

The Snow brothers ignored him, tapping various areas of the brick wall in front of them. "Where is it?" Nathan mumbled.

Finally, there came a "Found it!" from Billy, standing triumphantly in front of a panel.

"Found what?" Skipper tried again.

He was ignored once more.

Nathan slid to his brother, pressing his flipper the exact moment Billy did on the screen that had appeared. An eye scanner popped out – both brothers were scanned. At last, a door slid open to reveal something the others had never thought to see.

"It's beautiful," said Skipper, almost in a daze.

Kowalski's mouth hung open at the sheer aura the sleek planes produced. Each of them were silver in color – built like a hawk with its wings outstretched in flight. They were similar to fighter jets as well, a ladder stretching from the ground to the cockpit. Nathan slid over to one as Billy slid to the other. "No time to gawk," snapped the older twin. "We're racing against time."

On the other hand, Billy was more sympathetic as Private and Skipper joined him in his plane. "Nat and I helped build lots of these planes," he explained as he buckled himself in and flicked on the necessary buttons. "And as a reward, asked to have them placed in various places around the globe in case of an emergency. We also put extra seats in as well, in case of passengers."

Skipper strapped himself in, looking at the interior of the plane with something close to idolism. "Why didn't you use it when you were separated?"

"You see, they're built so securely that it can only be accessed when both of us are present."

"Oh."

Billy pressed his flipper on the pad, watching as a green light lit up and scanned his flipper. An automated voice came on. _"Identity confirmed. Welcome back, Billy Snow."_

Private grinned. "Cool."

Billy glanced back at them. "You all good? 'Cos we're about to take off."

* * *

><p>"This is Snow 01 to Snow 02, do you read me?"<p>

"Snow 02 reading. How are the packages?"

"All right. Kowalski looks a little sick, though."

Billy snickered. "Everything's fine on my end. Snow 02, out."

Skipper smiled. "Kowalski was never good at flying. Rico, on the other hand, was a magnet for all sorts of air born trouble."

"Well, I hope nothing hinders our travel. We can't take more delays."

* * *

><p>"Oh dear." Kowalski pressed his flipper to his beak, clumping it shut.<p>

Nathan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Kowalski, there's a paper bag behind you should you need it."

Seconds later, there was the sound of paper crinkling, and someone puking their guts out. Nathan winced. "Sorry, Kowalski. But there is a reason we're going this fast. Perhaps I'll bring you on a leisurely ride some time."

More puking.

* * *

><p>"We're nearing our destination, Snow 02."<p>

"I see it. Snow 02, out."

Billy took off his headset after pressing a few buttons. The screen lit up once. Private leaned over to read it: Autopilot Engaged.

"Why did you switch on autopilot?" the young penguin asked.

Billy shrugged on a parachute. He grinned. "HALO, Private."

"HALO?" repeated the penguin.

"High Altitude Low Opening. In other words, we're going to parachute in."

Private's eyes widened. Skipper grinned back, snatching up a parachute. "Great!" he exclaimed, eyes shining brightly. "This will be awesome!"

On the other hand, Private wasn't as keen on joining this expedition. Well, it was more like he had enough close brushes with death to last him a _long _time. "Is there another way down?" he asked. "A way….less dangerous? Like just landing the plane?"

Billy looked at him amusedly. "Of course there is!"

Private sighed. "Oh good, because I thought—"

"But it'll take too long."

Private choked on his sentence. Skipper thumped his back. "Think about it this way, soldier. Where's the fun if you're just going to land this thing?"

Billy shook his head, offering Private a parachute. "So I suggest you put on your parachute before I open the cockpit."

Private hurriedly took the parachute, fastening on his shoulders and across his stomach. He took a deep breath. "Ready."

Skipper glanced at screen. "What about the plane?"

"It's on autopilot. I keyed in the coordinates back to the hangar, and it'll land itself."

"Autopilot can do that?"

"It can in this one."

* * *

><p>"Kowalski, stop hyperventilating."<p>

No response.

Nathan sighed, turning to Rico. "Nothing's going to happen, is it?"

"Nope."

Nathan opened the glass cover, the wind immediately threatening to blow them down. Kowalski screamed as the agent pushed him overboard. Nathan peered over the edge before gesturing to Rico to jump. The penguin needed no further encouragement.

Nathan pressed his flippers to his side, falling controllably down at an even greater speed and catching up to Kowalski. "Flippers up and raised!" he yelled to the penguin. "It'll slow down your fall."

Kowalski listened, his fall considerably more controlled now. Nathan glanced down, gauging the distance. "Open your parachute!"

The pack unfolded as Kowalski pulled the string. Nathan nodded encouragingly as he saw Rico do the same as well. Soon, three white circle-like shapes could be seen from the sky. Within seconds, a second plane flew by, releasing three other silhouettes before flying away.

* * *

><p><strong>*low whistle* ... Bye! XD I'll update soon, don't worry. XD<strong>


	23. Bomb Hunting

**Happy New Year! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>23. Bomb Hunting<strong>

It was a beautiful day – clear skies, bright sun, fluffy clouds. In fact, if one was – by strange coincidence – walking in the Central Park and glancing up, he/she would have seen an impossible sight. Only, it wasn't impossible. No, one would have been shocked to discover that penguins were parachuting nowadays. Luckily, for the boys, no one happened to glance up as they fell gently down – nor was there any wind as they angled their way to a thick set of bushes not far from the secret entrance to the zoo.

Nathan pulled on his parachute strap, preparing himself for the landing. His knees automatically buckled upon impact, reducing the shock on them; and expertly, he somersaulted to break his fall. It took no stretch of imagination to see he had gone it before. Jumping to his feet, he quickly rolled the parachute out of sight, careful not to entangle them in the bushes as the rest of his group landed.

Branches broke as Kowalski landed clumsily in the tiny clearing surrounded by bushes. Fortunately, he was unharmed – if one looked over the scrapes he had obtained. Nathan slid over to him, smiling as he saw that the scientist was all right. "Not bad for your first time, Kowalski," he admitted.

But Kowalski was too busy feeling relief at stepping on firm ground again to acknowledge the praise. Perhaps this was why he nearly jumped out of his feathers as Rico crashed into a tree not far from him. The scarred penguin hung in the air by his straps, blinking in shock yet holding a huge grin. Nathan waddled up – Kowalski's parachute neatly folded in a flipper – and frowned at the sight. "Unbuckle yourself, Rico."

The suspended bird looked down, gauging his height from the ground, before shrugging. He landed with an 'Oof', falling on his rear end and looking up at them with a happy expression. Kowalski shook his head, offering him a flipper and pulling him up. Meanwhile, Nathan showed of his climbing skills by skimming the tree. He tugged on the cloth-like object before shaking his head. "It'll take too long to take down."

So they left it like that, returning to the clearing just in time to see Billy land the same way Nathan did – Skipper and Private not far behind. Nathan glanced at the group, noting with a pleased look that everyone was accounted for. "Everyone good?"

A series of 'Yes-es', 'Uh-huhs', and even an 'As good as I'll ever be'.

Skipper stepped up, pointing to the zoo, although the large red bricked walls were really all that they could see. "All right, team. We've got a bomb to dismantle and a zoo to save. So, let's not linger any longer. Who hah?"

They smiled at the familiar battle cry, putting their flippers over his. "Who hah!"

* * *

><p>Young Maria Hastings had just reached the lemur's habitat when the fire alarm sounded, and people ranbriskly walked to the exit. The loud voices of the zookeepers could be heard over the noise and panic. "Please evacuate to the exit in a calm, orderly fashion."

Her father began urgently pulling her to the exit, but she hung back. "But I wanted to see the lemurs!" she pouted.

"Not today, honey," he replied. "Perhaps some other time."

"But what about the animals? Will they be safe?"

"The zookeepers will sort them out, Maria." He scooped her up in his arms.

She caught the urgency in his words. Knowing it was futile to argue any further, she contented herself by looking back at the zoo. As it was, she managed to catch six shadowy shapes enter the penguins habitat. Yet, after she had blinked and rubbed her eyes, there was no one, or thing, in sight.

* * *

><p>"Using the fire alarm as a distraction was genius, Kowalski!" Skipper praised.<p>

Kowalski smiled. "Well, I do have my moments."

"Don't let it go to your head or it's the show-off jar for you!" Rico sang, merrily sliding down the ladder – his laughter reaching their ears.

Kowalski glared down at him before jumping down himself, narrowly missing the penguin. "Now, where would I hide a bomb?" he asked himself.

The search for the bomb had begun.

* * *

><p>Nathan got the brilliant idea of searching in the security cameras' storage system to see if it showed where White had placed the bombs. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. Fl—. Wait over there! He went back, heart nearly stopping as he saw where White had placed it. A few seconds passed before he found his voice. "Guys? I think I've found the bomb."<p>

Kowalski appeared next to him. "That's gr—" He caught sight of the film. "That is _so _not good."

"Ya, think?"

The others had hardly had time to appear in the same room before both Nathan and Kowalski pushed them to the secret elevator leading to the underground floors. "What's going on?" demanded Skipper, offering no resistance as Kowalski practically shoved him into the enclosed space. "Where's the bomb?"

"Somewhere dangerous," Nathan hinted lowly, shaking his head. "I can't believe White would do such a thing!"

It was clear he wasn't going to shine light on the subject. "Well?" prompted Skipper, turning to Kowalski.

The penguin checked that they were going to the right floor before licking his beak and swallowing. "The bomb, sir. It's beside the nuclear reactor core."

Skipper's eyes – along with everyone in the elevator – widened. "But the bomb will take out the core as well. Meaning we're looking at an explosion—"

"The size of the city, at least," Nathan finished. "Exactly what White had been planning the whole time."

The elevator dinged once, before the doors slid open, and everyone rushed out. Nathan ran a flipper through his feathers for lack of nothing better to do as he examined the bomb. "Billy, you're up."

Billy immediately knelt down locating the bomb's latch. He ran a flipper over them, brushing away the dust. "I need screwdrivers, now!"

Silence before Nathan exploded. "You heard him!"

Rico coughed up the necessary tools. Nathan grabbed a flipperful, handing a fitting one to Billy and keeping the other to himself. The two set to work twisting the screws loose. Soon, the sound of metal hitting the floor could be heard. Billy dropped the tool on the ground and took out the panel, revealing a complex series of colored wires. "I'm going to need pliers, tweezers, and some small scissors."

This time, there was no hesitation as Rico regurgitated them out. Nathan got back up on his feet and ushered the other's back, giving Billy ample room to do his work. Skipper grounded his beak in anger – feeling useless. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Apart from giving him whatever he asks for, nothing," Nathan replied. "He's always been the one better with explosives between the two of us. I have faith in his abilities." He glanced at the timer's screen. "We're lucky enough we made it here with a minute to spare."

"But will it be enough?" Private voiced everyone's thoughts.

Nathan gave him a forced smile. "We can only hope, Private. We can only hope."


	24. When You Work in a Team

**Hello! It's me again with another update! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The other penguins could only watch – biting tongues, tapping flippers, shifting feet – as Billy worked frantically on the bomb. The penguin was kneeled down, multicolored wires intervened around him. Nathan sat quietly in front of the timer and in view of his brother – the only sigh of his anxiety was a bead of sweat running down the side of his head. He bit his tongue, brow creasing as the numbers rolled down.<p>

_15_

_14_

_13_

"Blue or red?" Billy's voice broke through the silence, causing the majority of the avians to jump – some of them nearly having heart attacks.

"What?"

Billy raised a brow, seemingly unperturbed at the dire situation. "Blue or red?" he repeated. "The wires, I mean."

_9_

_8_

"Red," Nathan finally answered after a few seconds.

Skipper glared at him, disagreeing but could only watch in silence as Nathan had won their unspoken battle.

"Are you sure?"

_5_

_4_

"Just do it, Billy!" Nathan could not conceal the fear in his eyes as the timer dialed down.

Billy cut the wire.

_3_

_2_

Nathan stared at the timer in horror. "Why isn't it—"

_Override: Successful_

The screen turned black, making everyone collectively sigh in relief. Billy stood from his kneeling position, wincing as his leg slightly cramped. Still, he waddled to his brother – both of them hugging each other tightly. Billy glanced at the timer, cracking a wry smile. "Cutting it a little close, huh, Nat?"

Nathan shoved him in the shoulder good-naturedly. "Look who's talking."

* * *

><p>Skipper stood beside the Snow Twins silently – both of them offering a nod of acknowledgement. "That was a close call."<p>

"Too close," agreed Nathan.

"What are we going to do now?" Billy asked the question on their minds.

Nathan frowned, turning to Skipper. "Do you mind if we stay here for a while?"

Smiling, Skipper shook his head, spreading his flippers out. "After you helped us save New York, you're welcome anytime." He then added jokingly. "Plus, the entire zoo will have my feathers if I kicked you two out."

Billy gasped in mock outrage, shoving Skipper lightly. Nathan smiled at both of them. "Then, we'll stay here for a while before leaving again. Years of habit are not going to disappear fast, and I still feel the wanderer's blood flowing through my veins. Besides, we still have that NPTA service to attend."

Skipper rolled his eyes as Billy groaned. "Don't remind me."

Billy nodded. "It's going to be _boring_!" He proceeded with a decent impression for the NPTA spokespenguin. " 'And we want to present this medal to blah and blah and blah for doing blah blah blah and for showing what the NPTA is all about'." He received admiring gazes from the other two.

Skipper smiled wryly. "Not bad at all, Billy. Not bad."

"I do try," Billy boasted.

Nathan pushed him into the pool with a well-aimed flipper. "Yeah, right. You've been practicing for years!" Unfortunately for him, Billy managed to get a firm flipper grip on him, causing the brothers to topple into the pool.

Skipper burst out laughing, his flipper pointing at them as they resurfaced for air. The Snow brothers exchanged a similar, mischievous grin before pulling Skipper down with them. Soon, the air was filled with yells, screams, and screeches. The others appeared on the floe in panic, looking for the source of trouble only to be dragged into the water.

Therefore, the day ended – with the six black-and-white birds splashing and pulling each other into the water, uselessly threatening to drown their friends even though penguins had an amazing lung capacity. As the sun set that night, their laughter drifted in the air along with mock screams of revenge.

* * *

><p>Around two weeks later, the NPTA ceremony was held. After the service, Private held the golden medal with a flipper, the colorful lights bouncing off the metal. He felt a presence behind him and turning around, found Nathan smiling at him. "Nathan!"<p>

The two, despite their close relationship, had not really talked with the other for the past few days – they had all been busy. Luckily, though, all of them received ample medication for their wounds – especially Nathan, whose scrapes made him wince in the days to come as the adrenaline had trickled away. Said penguin now sat by the pool, his feet kicking the water. "How're you doing, Private?"

Private sat next to him before turning with a huge grin, ignoring the formal question by hugging the older penguin tightly. "It's so good to see you again! You have no idea how worried I was!"

Nathan sat there awkwardly before softening and relenting, returning the youngster's hug. "It's good to see you again, young Private."

The penguin beamed at him, eyes lighting up and a stream of questions flying from his mouth. Laughing, Nathan answered all the questions he could, and soon the topic of their conversation ventured to mundane subjects. At last, he glanced up at the sun, reading the approximate time before his beak stretched into a happy expression. He handed Private a small red water gun.

The penguin glanced down, confused. "What's this for?"

Nathan smiled secretly. "You'll see. Just remember. Red is our team, and blue is the enemy."

With that, he stood up, dusting imaginary dirt off himself and disappearing into the crowd. Bewildered, Private looked down at the toy, frowning before getting to his feet. Then, he heard a scream and someone laughing. It didn't take long before Nathan burst out of the crowd with the crowd grinning, his eyes lit up with a dangerous glint Private knew well.

"Nathan, what did you—"

He was cut off by Nathan grabbing his flipper, forcing him to run alongside. "No time to talk!"

"What's going on?" cried Private, stumbling slightly before shifting to Nathan's gait.

"Water war" was the delighted response. "And we've got a group on really angry Blues behind us."

Sure enough, the crowd behind them all held blue water guns. Private's eyes widened as he understood. "Blue is the enemy!"

"Yup. And all we have to do is get past the clock tower for our guys to jump on them."

* * *

><p>Hours later and the game was declared a tie, both sides happily congratulating each other. The six found each other after a round of drinks and entertainment. Skipper smiled at them. "Ready to go home?"<p>

"Yes" was the immediate response. Despite the fact that the party was certainly enjoyable, they all felt that urge to return home – sleeping in their bunks and feeling secure.

"Hey, Nathan?" asked Skipper as they waddled slowly to the exit.

"Yeah?"

"Do you happen to have any of those private jets around this area? Or do we have to take the subwayagain?"

Nathan laughed, eyes twinkling as he winked. "Wait and see, Skipper. Wait and see."

* * *

><p><strong>The End<strong>

**So that's the end of the story! Thanks you all of you who have kept with me despite all of those cliffhangers. ;) I want to especially thank all of you who took time to review _False Beliefs_!**


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